Comparison of a Zero-filling Interpolation with a Real Matrix Size at 1.5 Tesla Based on Spin-echo Weighted Imaging with Various Spatial Resolutions: An ACR Phantom Study

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the effect of zero-filling interpolation (ZIP) and various spatial resolutions on quality assurance (QA). Two important variables for the assessments of magnetic resonance image quality were included with recommended acceptance criteria: high-contrast spatial resolution and low-contrast object detectability with reference limits. All acquired data were divided into two groups: group A (without ZIP) and group B (with ZIP). The spatial resolutions of both images of T1-weighted and T2-weighted imaging in both directions fulfilled the American College of Radiology (ACR) criterion in group B. The observed high-contrast spatial resolution values were significantly different between the two groups up to a matrix size of 320 × 320 (p < 0.05). On the other hand, with a matrix size ≥ 384 × 384, no significant differences between the two groups were observed in terms of high-contrast spatial resolution (p > 0.05). For low-contrast object detectability, the total number of measured spokes in all groups fulfilled the ACR criterion. However, the low-contrast object detectability values without ZIP tended to decrease as the matrix size decreased. The use of ZIP can improve high-contrast spatial resolution and low-contrast object detectability while reducing image blurriness.