Synthetic Contrasts in Musculoskeletal MRI A Review

This review summarizes the existing techniques and methods used to generate synthetic contrasts from magnetic resonance imaging data focusing on musculoskeletal magnetic resonance imaging. To that end, the different approaches were categorized into 3 different methodological groups: mathematical image transformation, physics-based, and data-driven approaches. Each group is characterized, followed by examples and a brief overview of their clinical validation, if present. Finally, we will discuss the advantages, disadvantages, and caveats of synthetic contrasts, focusing on the preservation of image information, validation, and aspects of the clinical workflow.

Automated summary

This review provides an overview of the existing techniques and methods for generating synthetic contrasts from magnetic resonance imaging data, with a focus on musculoskeletal MRI. The approaches are categorized into three methodological groups: mathematical image transformation, physics-based, and data-driven approaches. Each group is characterized and examples are provided, along with a brief overview of their clinical validation, when available. The advantages, disadvantages, and caveats of synthetic contrasts are discussed, with a focus on image information preservation, validation, and aspects of the clinical workflow.