Diffusional kurtosis imaging using a fast heuristic constrained linear least squares algorithm

A new easy-to-use and multivendor tool for diffusion kurtosis imaging is presented, which, given a series of diffusion weighted images (DWI's), generates maps for Mean Diffusion, Axial Diffusion, Radial Diffusion, Fractional Anisotropy, Mean Kurtosis, Axial Kurtosis and Radial Kurtosis, using a heuristic constrained linear least squares algorithm proposed by (Tabesh et al. 2011). The tool was developed as a plugin for OsiriX, an open-source PACS workstation and medical image processing tool, to assist medical imaging research. The preliminary results obtained with the developed plugin are subject to both qualitative and quantitative validations with promising results. Nevertheless, thorough validation is necessary before making this plugin available for medical research.