Ginkgo: a novel modular and and Open Source MRI pulse sequence development framework dedicated to MRI systems

Abstract

We created a new object-oriented environment for MR pulse-sequence development based on IDEA VE11C and above versions using an Open Science philosophy. This Ginkgo toolkit uses a modular structure to facilitate the design of pulse sequences using the aggregation of basic open-source sequence blocks available from the toolkit. Proofs of concept of the productivity gain reached using Ginkgo are provided through the implementation of a series of sequence models including a diffusion-weighted PGSE 3D EPI sequence.