Efficient Chebyshev Reconstruction for the Anisotropic Equilibrium Model in Magnetic Particle Imaging

Abstract: Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is a tomographic imaging modality capable of real-time, high-sensitivity mapping of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles. Model-based image reconstruction provides an alternative to conventional methods that rely on a measured system matrix, eliminating the need for laborious calibration measurements. Nevertheless, model-based approaches must account for the complexities of the imaging chain to maintain high image quality. A recently proposed direct reconstruction method leverages weighted Chebyshev polynomials in the frequency domain, removing the need for a simulated system matrix. However, the underlying model neglects key physical effects, such as nanoparticle anisotropy, leading to distortions in reconstructed images. To mitigate these artifacts, an adapted direct Chebyshev reconstruction (DCR) method incorporates a spatially variant deconvolution step, significantly improving reconstruction accuracy at the cost of increased computational demands. In this work, we evaluate the adapted DCR on six experimental phantoms, demonstrating enhanced reconstruction quality in real measurements and achieving image fidelity comparable to or exceeding that of simulated system matrix reconstruction. Furthermore, we introduce an efficient approximation for the spatially variable deconvolution, reducing both runtime and memory consumption while maintaining accuracy. This method achieves computational complexity of O(N log N ), making it particularly beneficial for high-resolution and three-dimensional imaging. Our results highlight the potential of the adapted DCR approach for improving model-based MPI reconstruction in practical applications.