GUIBOLD: A graphical user interface for image reconstruction and data analysis in susceptibility-weighted MR-imaging

Susceptibility-weighted (SW) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging provides high-resolution, distortion-free blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) data for assessment of cerebral veins, blood products, and brain lesions. Currently, reconstruction of SW imaging data is not implemented on all MR imaging systems or is restricted in terms of parameter adjustments. New developments in SW imaging have been implemented into a graphical user interface (GUI), which is named GUIBOLD. The GUI was designed for imaging system-independent off-line data reconstruction with interactive setting of parameters on the basis of k-space data and Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine images. GUIBOLD is capable of presenting magnitude, unwrapped phase, and SW images in different orientations and parallel projections with various rendering methods and region-of-interest-based data analysis tools. Moreover, GUIBOLD affords easy and comprehensive data reconstruction possibilities for venographic and arterial imaging and anatomic phase imaging. As a direct application, differentiation between cavernous and calcified lesions on the basis of their magnetic susceptibility on phase images was performed. GUIBOLD widens the range of potential applications of SW imaging and makes it more accessible for use in the clinical routine as well as in medical research.