Accelerating patch-based directional wavelets with multicore parallel computing in compressed sensing MRI

Compressed sensing MRI (CS-MRI) is a promising technology to accelerate magnetic resonance imaging. Both improving the image quality and reducing the computation time are important for this technology. Recently, a patch-based directional wavelet (PBDW) has been applied in CS-MRI to improve edge reconstruction. However, this method is time consuming since it involves extensive computations, including geometric direction estimation and numerous iterations of wavelet transform. To accelerate computations of PBDW, we propose a general parallelization of patch-based processing by taking the advantage of multicore processors. Additionally, two pertinent optimizations, excluding smooth patches and pre-arranged insertion sort, that make use of sparsity in MR images are also proposed. Simulation results demonstrate that the acceleration factor with the parallel architecture of PBDW approaches the number of central processing unit cores, and that pertinent optimizations are also effective to make further accelerations. The proposed approaches allow compressed sensing MRI reconstruction to be accomplished within several seconds.