QSMxT

QSMxT is an end-to-end software toolbox for QSM that automatically reconstructs and processes large datasets in parallel using sensible defaults.

QSMxT produces:

  • Quantitative Susceptibility Maps (QSM)
  • Anatomical segmentation in both the GRE/QSM and T1w spaces
  • Spreadsheets in CSV format with susceptibility statistics across brain regions of interest
  • A group space/template, including average QSM and GRE images across your cohort

QSMxT requires gradient-recalled echo (GRE) MR images converted to the Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS). QSMxT also includes tools to convert DICOM or NIfTI images to BIDS.

QSMxT Process Diagram

See an interactive notebook applying QSMxT here!

What is QSM?

Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM) is an emerging form of quantitative MRI that aims to measure the magnetic susceptibility of objects. Susceptibility maps are derived by post-processing the phase component of the complex MRI signal from a T2*-weighted acquisition such as 3D gradient-echo (3D-GRE) or 3D echo planar imaging (3D-EPI). QSM has many applications, mostly in human brain imaging of conditions such as traumatic brain injuries, neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases, ageing, tumours, with emerging applications across the human body and in animals.

How do I cite QSMxT?

Please cite our paper:

Stewart AW, Robinson SD, O’Brien K, Jin J, Widhalm G, Hangel G, Walls A, Goodwin J, Eckstein K, Tourell M, Morgan C, Narayanan A, Barth M, Bollmann S. “QSMxT: Robust masking and artifact reduction for quantitative susceptibility mapping”. Magnetic resonance in medicine 87.3 (2022): 1289-1300. https://doi.org/10.1002/mrm.29048

In addition, since each processing step automated by QSMxT uses a range of underlying technologies and software, we provide a references.txt file in the output directory that lists citations for the methods used. These citations adapt depending on your input data and parameters to reflect the methods used. For a complete list of references, see algorithms.