title: Distributed MRI reconstruction using Gadgetron-based cloud computing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To expand the open source Gadgetron reconstruction framework to support distributed computing and to demonstrate that a multinode version of the Gadgetron can be used to provide nonlinear reconstruction with clinically acceptable latency.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Gadgetron framework was extended with new software components that enable an arbitrary number of Gadgetron instances to collaborate on a reconstruction task. This cloud-enabled version of the Gadgetron was deployed on three different distributed computing platforms ranging from a heterogeneous collection of commodity computers to the commercial Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud. The Gadgetron cloud was used to provide nonlinear, compressed sensing reconstruction on a clinical scanner with low reconstruction latency (eg, cardiac and neuroimaging applications).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proposed setup was able to handle acquisition and 11 -SPIRiT reconstruction of nine high temporal resolution real-time, cardiac short axis cine acquisitions, covering the ventricles for functional evaluation, in under 1 min. A three-dimensional high-resolution brain acquisition with 1 mm(3) isotropic pixel size was acquired and reconstructed with nonlinear reconstruction in less than 5 min.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A distributed computing enabled Gadgetron provides a scalable way to improve reconstruction performance using commodity cluster computing. Nonlinear, compressed sensing reconstruction can be deployed clinically with low image reconstruction latency.
authors.affiliation: Magnetic Resonance Technology Program, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Souheil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inati
authors.forename: Thomas Sangild
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Sørensen
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kellman
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hansen
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D044962:Data Compression / Q000379:methods*; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D020407:Internet; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D011381:Programming Languages; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012984:Software
keywords: Gadgetron; distributed computing; nonlinear MRI reconstruction; open-source software