Most MRI software platforms have their origins in the early 1990s and have grown drastically in functionality over the years. Due to the breadth of features that were added, the platforms are increasingly difficult to use. Moreover, because of largely monolithic code design, it has become challenging to integrate novel MRI techniques. This talk will look at how microservices architectures could provide a potential solution, covering the application for image reconstruction, remote sequence calculation, and external devices control. Furthermore, it will be discussed how an open development model would revitalize the currently stagnating translation of research developments into clinical practice.
After the first commercial MRI systems became available in the mid-1980s, significant hardware and technical advances have been introduced and have paved the way for the success of MRI as an invaluable diagnostic tool in medicine. However, the software platforms that control the devices have received relatively little attention. Most of the existing MRI software platforms have their origins in the early 1990s and have been designed around the traditional paradigm of the NMR pulse sequence experiment: The interface shows a set of controls that allow the user to configure the experiment; the software then reads the parameters, executes the NMR experiment accordingly, processes the acquired data, and displays the result to the user. This concept made sense in the early days of MRI because it was still unclear which sequence configurations would provide optimal results in different applications. With increasing clinical utilization of MRI, however, more and more options and sequence variations were integrated into the software packages. Single sequences can nowadays have over 150 different parameters, in addition to numerous general system settings. Due to the large number of sequence variations and the enormous amount of settings, operating today’s MRI systems has become a science of its own, which creates tremendous training and maintenance effort to ensure that exam procedures are performed consistently across the enterprise.
In addition to making the scanners difficult to use, the feature-driven evolution of the software has also created problems on the development side. As common practice at the time of development, most platforms have a monolithic design and combine user interface, sequence calculation, scanner control, image reconstruction, and image-processing functions into a single unit with shared code base. This monolithic unit also serves as the deliverable that is shipped to the end user, e.g. for distributing software updates. Because of strong code dependencies within the monolith and the huge size of the underlying code base, it has become increasingly difficult to integrate new technologies into the software, in particular those developments that break with the classical NMR pulse-sequence paradigm. At the same time, the effort needed for quality control has grown significantly due to the high overall complexity of the deliverable. As result, clinical translation of new MRI methods takes much longer than before and the burden for releasing new techniques into the market is increasing.
Therefore, a key challenge will be to redesign the software platforms in such a way that they provide the flexibility for integrating new techniques and research developments more rapidly but without the risk of cluttering both the user interface and existing code base.
Microservices Architectures
Problems$$$~$$$from$$$~$$$overgrown$$$~$$$monolithic$$$~$$$architectures$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$not$$$~$$$unique$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$MRI$$$~$$$world$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$well-known$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$almost$$$~$$$all$$$~$$$areas$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$Information$$$~$$$Technology.$$$~$$$A$$$~$$$strategy$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$has$$$~$$$recently$$$~$$$become$$$~$$$popular$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$software$$$~$$$engineering$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$address$$$~$$$this$$$~$$$exact$$$~$$$situation$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$microservices$$$~$$$(1,2).$$$~$$$Many$$$~$$$large$$$~$$$companies,$$$~$$$such$$$~$$$as$$$~$$$Netflix,$$$~$$$eBay,$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$Amazon,$$$~$$$have$$$~$$$implemented$$$~$$$microservices$$$~$$$architectures$$$~$$$over$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$last$$$~$$$years$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$cope$$$~$$$with$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$challenges$$$~$$$resulting$$$~$$$from$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$rapid$$$~$$$growth$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$their$$$~$$$businesses.
The$$$~$$$core$$$~$$$idea$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$divide$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$software$$$~$$$into$$$~$$$small$$$~$$$autonomous$$$~$$$units$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$each$$$~$$$implement$$$~$$$only$$$~$$$one$$$~$$$specific$$$~$$$function.$$$~$$$Thus,$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$software$$$~$$$platform$$$~$$$becomes$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$network$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$many$$$~$$$small$$$~$$$modules$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$communicate$$$~$$$through$$$~$$$defined$$$~$$$network$$$~$$$interfaces$$$~$$$(APIs).$$$~$$$Because$$$~$$$each$$$~$$$microservice$$$~$$$module$$$~$$$has$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$limited$$$~$$$functional$$$~$$$scope,$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$development$$$~$$$process,$$$~$$$testing,$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$system$$$~$$$integration$$$~$$$become$$$~$$$much$$$~$$$better$$$~$$$manageable$$$~$$$compared$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$monolithic$$$~$$$approach.$$$~$$$The$$$~$$$concept$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$modularizing$$$~$$$software$$$~$$$solutions$$$~$$$is,$$$~$$$as$$$~$$$such,$$$~$$$nothing$$$~$$$novel.$$$~$$$However,$$$~$$$what$$$~$$$differentiates$$$~$$$microservices$$$~$$$from$$$~$$$previous$$$~$$$approaches$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$modularization,$$$~$$$such$$$~$$$as$$$~$$$encapsulation$$$~$$$into$$$~$$$loadable$$$~$$$libraries$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$object-oriented$$$~$$$programming$$$~$$$(OOP),$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$principle$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$autonomy.$$$~$$$Each$$$~$$$microservice$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$conceptionally$$$~$$$seen$$$~$$$as$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$fully$$$~$$$autonomous$$$~$$$unit$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$can$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$developed,$$$~$$$tested,$$$~$$$operated,$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$deployed$$$~$$$independently$$$~$$$from$$$~$$$all$$$~$$$other$$$~$$$components$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$system.$$$~$$$This$$$~$$$principle$$$~$$$inherently$$$~$$$forbids$$$~$$$source$$$~$$$code$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$binary$$$~$$$dependencies$$$~$$$between$$$~$$$modules,$$$~$$$so$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$all$$$~$$$interactions$$$~$$$must$$$~$$$occur$$$~$$$through$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$outside$$$~$$$communication$$$~$$$interface$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$services$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$exposing.
Each$$$~$$$microservice$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$typically$$$~$$$developed$$$~$$$by$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$dedicated$$$~$$$team.$$$~$$$Because$$$~$$$there$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$no$$$~$$$code$$$~$$$dependencies,$$$~$$$there$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$no$$$~$$$need$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$use$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$same$$$~$$$programming$$$~$$$language$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$development$$$~$$$environment$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$all$$$~$$$services.$$$~$$$Thus,$$$~$$$development$$$~$$$teams$$$~$$$have$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$freedom$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$select$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$technologies$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$best$$$~$$$suited$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$individual$$$~$$$problem,$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$it$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$high-performance$$$~$$$language$$$~$$$such$$$~$$$as$$$~$$$C++,$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$scripting$$$~$$$language$$$~$$$such$$$~$$$as$$$~$$$Python$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$JavaScript,$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$even$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$scientific$$$~$$$language$$$~$$$such$$$~$$$as$$$~$$$MATLAB.$$$~$$$Moreover,$$$~$$$because$$$~$$$microservices$$$~$$$typically$$$~$$$communicate$$$~$$$over$$$~$$$normal$$$~$$$TCP/IP$$$~$$$network$$$~$$$channels,$$$~$$$there$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$no$$$~$$$requirement$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$all$$$~$$$instances$$$~$$$must$$$~$$$share$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$single$$$~$$$runtime$$$~$$$environment.$$$~$$$This$$$~$$$creates$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$lot$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$flexibility$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$composition$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$services$$$~$$$into$$$~$$$an$$$~$$$overall$$$~$$$solution,$$$~$$$which$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$referred$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$as$$$~$$$“orchestration”$$$~$$$(3).$$$~$$$Services$$$~$$$can$$$~$$$either$$$~$$$run$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$single$$$~$$$computer,$$$~$$$they$$$~$$$can$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$distributed$$$~$$$across$$$~$$$multiple$$$~$$$computers,$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$they$$$~$$$can$$$~$$$run$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$cloud$$$~$$$services$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$hosted$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$internet.$$$~$$$The$$$~$$$possibility$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$decentralized$$$~$$$execution$$$~$$$offers$$$~$$$significant$$$~$$$advantages$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$view$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$scalability,$$$~$$$fault$$$~$$$tolerance,$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$maintenance.$$$~$$$Because$$$~$$$it$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$possible$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$dynamically$$$~$$$launch$$$~$$$instances$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$service$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$reroute$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$communication$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$new$$$~$$$instance,$$$~$$$it$$$~$$$becomes$$$~$$$feasible$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$seamlessly$$$~$$$react$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$hardware$$$~$$$failures$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$deploy$$$~$$$updates.$$$~$$$The$$$~$$$latter$$$~$$$means$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$bugfixes,$$$~$$$new$$$~$$$features,$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$completely$$$~$$$rewritten$$$~$$$implementations$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$components$$$~$$$can$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$distributed$$$~$$$continuously$$$~$$$without$$$~$$$causing$$$~$$$major$$$~$$$service$$$~$$$interruptions,$$$~$$$which$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$contrary$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$current$$$~$$$update$$$~$$$practice$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$MRI$$$~$$$systems$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$replaces$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$complete$$$~$$$software$$$~$$$package$$$~$$$at$$$~$$$once$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$requires$$$~$$$significant$$$~$$$downtime$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$system.
Microservices$$$~$$$typically$$$~$$$communicate$$$~$$$via$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$REST$$$~$$$(REpresentational$$$~$$$State$$$~$$$Transfer)$$$~$$$interface$$$~$$$(4),$$$~$$$which$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$communication$$$~$$$mechanism$$$~$$$closely$$$~$$$related$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$HTTP$$$~$$$protocol$$$~$$$used$$$~$$$by$$$~$$$webservers$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$commonly$$$~$$$utilized$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$mobile$$$~$$$apps$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$communicate$$$~$$$with$$$~$$$backend$$$~$$$servers.$$$~$$$Essentially,$$$~$$$REST$$$~$$$calls$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$requests$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$client$$$~$$$sends$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$server$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$HTTP$$$~$$$format$$$~$$$(5),$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$which$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$kind$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$request$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$parameters$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$encoded$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$URL$$$~$$$address.$$$~$$$For$$$~$$$example,$$$~$$$if$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$mobile$$$~$$$app$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$ride-sharing$$$~$$$service$$$~$$$requests$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$car,$$$~$$$it$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$send$$$~$$$an$$$~$$$HTTP$$$~$$$request$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$company’s$$$~$$$server$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$form:
GET http://api.car-service.com/CallRide?User=KTB&Lat=40.7127&Lng=74.0059
If the server can execute this request, it would respond with a success code (typically 200), otherwise it would return an error code (typically 400 or 404):
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
If the intent of the request was to retrieve information, the server would confirm with a success code and return the requested information, typically in the JSON or XML format (6):
GET http://api.car-service.com/ShowPrice?User=KTB&Lat=40.7127&Lng=74.0059&Dest=Home
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
{
“Price”: 20.33,
“Currency”: “USD”,
“WaitTime”: 3
}
The$$$~$$$list$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$available$$$~$$$URL$$$~$$$addresses$$$~$$$with$$$~$$$possible$$$~$$$parameters$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$format$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$response$$$~$$$define$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$application$$$~$$$programming$$$~$$$interface$$$~$$$(API)$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$microservice.$$$~$$$This$$$~$$$interface$$$~$$$definition$$$~$$$must$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$known$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$all$$$~$$$components$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$interact$$$~$$$with$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$service.$$$~$$$Because$$$~$$$all$$$~$$$calls$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$responses$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$exchanged$$$~$$$as$$$~$$$plain$$$~$$$text,$$$~$$$services$$$~$$$can$$$~$$$talk$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$each$$$~$$$other$$$~$$$even$$$~$$$if$$$~$$$they$$$~$$$have$$$~$$$been$$$~$$$written$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$different$$$~$$$programming$$$~$$$languages$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$if$$$~$$$they$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$running$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$different$$$~$$$operating$$$~$$$systems.$$$~$$$Moreover,$$$~$$$because$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$communication$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$human-readable$$$~$$$format,$$$~$$$it$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$relatively$$$~$$$easy$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$debug$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$test$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$services.$$$~$$$At$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$same$$$~$$$time,$$$~$$$it$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$also$$$~$$$straightforward$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$secure$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$connection$$$~$$$by$$$~$$$switching$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$communication$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$encrypted$$$~$$$HTTPS$$$~$$$format,$$$~$$$which$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$high$$$~$$$importance$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$working$$$~$$$with$$$~$$$medical$$$~$$$data.
How$$$~$$$can$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$concept$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$microservices$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$applied$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$MRI$$$~$$$scanners?$$$~$$$A$$$~$$$first$$$~$$$logical$$$~$$$step$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$utilize$$$~$$$microservices$$$~$$$architecture$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$image$$$~$$$reconstruction.$$$~$$$Traditionally,$$$~$$$all$$$~$$$images$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$generated$$$~$$$by$$$~$$$an$$$~$$$MRI$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$calculated$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$single$$$~$$$reconstruction$$$~$$$system$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$part$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$hardware.$$$~$$$However,$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$recent$$$~$$$years,$$$~$$$computationally$$$~$$$demanding$$$~$$$algorithms$$$~$$$such$$$~$$$as$$$~$$$compressed-sensing$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$model-based$$$~$$$techniques$$$~$$$have$$$~$$$become$$$~$$$popular.$$$~$$$Implementing$$$~$$$such$$$~$$$techniques$$$~$$$directly$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$has$$$~$$$been$$$~$$$difficult$$$~$$$because$$$~$$$they$$$~$$$block$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$integrated$$$~$$$reconstruction$$$~$$$computer$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$too$$$~$$$long,$$$~$$$so$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$there$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$interference$$$~$$$with$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$clinical$$$~$$$workflow.$$$~$$$Vendors$$$~$$$have,$$$~$$$therefore,$$$~$$$started$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$improve$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$computational$$$~$$$capabilities$$$~$$$by$$$~$$$integrating$$$~$$$high-performance$$$~$$$(HPC)$$$~$$$servers$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$equipped$$$~$$$with$$$~$$$multiple$$$~$$$powerful$$$~$$$GPU$$$~$$$boards.$$$~$$$However,$$$~$$$integrating$$$~$$$HPC$$$~$$$servers$$$~$$$into$$$~$$$every$$$~$$$MRI$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$expensive,$$$~$$$increases$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$risk$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$hardware$$$~$$$failure,$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$inefficient$$$~$$$because$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$performance$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$HPC$$$~$$$server$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$not$$$~$$$required$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$every$$$~$$$examination.$$$~$$$Thus,$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$significant$$$~$$$amount$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$time,$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$HPC$$$~$$$server$$$~$$$will$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$underutilized.
A$$$~$$$rational$$$~$$$strategy$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$offload$$$~$$$expensive$$$~$$$reconstructions$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$centralized$$$~$$$compute$$$~$$$nodes,$$$~$$$running$$$~$$$either$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$central$$$~$$$server$$$~$$$cluster$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$even$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$cloud.$$$~$$$While$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$size$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$MRI$$$~$$$raw$$$~$$$data$$$~$$$can$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$large,$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$network$$$~$$$bandwidth$$$~$$$available$$$~$$$today$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$high$$$~$$$enough$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$transfer$$$~$$$such$$$~$$$data$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$remote$$$~$$$servers.$$$~$$$Moreover,$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$most$$$~$$$cases,$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$images$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$not$$$~$$$immediately$$$~$$$read$$$~$$$by$$$~$$$radiologists,$$$~$$$so$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$certain$$$~$$$delays$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$often$$$~$$$acceptable.$$$~$$$We$$$~$$$have$$$~$$$implemented$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$similar$$$~$$$strategy$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$our$$$~$$$center$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$our$$$~$$$compressed-sensing-based$$$~$$$GRASP$$$~$$$DCE-MRI$$$~$$$technique,$$$~$$$which$$$~$$$we$$$~$$$have$$$~$$$used$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$over$$$~$$$35,000$$$~$$$patient$$$~$$$exams$$$~$$$so$$$~$$$far$$$~$$$(7).$$$~$$$To$$$~$$$provide$$$~$$$feedback$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$technicians$$$~$$$regarding$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$success$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scan,$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$quick$$$~$$$gridding$$$~$$$reconstruction$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$performed$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$MRI$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$while$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$actual$$$~$$$DCE-MRI$$$~$$$reconstruction$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$calculated$$$~$$$using$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$central$$$~$$$server$$$~$$$pool$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$pushed$$$~$$$directly$$$~$$$into$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$PACS.$$$~$$$The$$$~$$$development$$$~$$$team$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$Gadgetron$$$~$$$framework$$$~$$$has$$$~$$$also$$$~$$$presented$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$distributed-computing$$$~$$$extension$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$their$$$~$$$framework,$$$~$$$with$$$~$$$which$$$~$$$compute$$$~$$$nodes$$$~$$$can$$$~$$$either$$$~$$$run$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$an$$$~$$$intranet$$$~$$$cluster$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$cloud$$$~$$$services$$$~$$$(8).
A$$$~$$$key$$$~$$$advantage$$$~$$$consists$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$centralized$$$~$$$management$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$reconstructions.$$$~$$$Updates$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$changes$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$reconstruction$$$~$$$parameters$$$~$$$can$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$installed$$$~$$$without$$$~$$$physically$$$~$$$accessing$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$MRI$$$~$$$system,$$$~$$$which$$$~$$$significantly$$$~$$$simplifies$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$maintenance.$$$~$$$This$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$particular$$$~$$$relevance$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$recently$$$~$$$proposed$$$~$$$reconstruction$$$~$$$techniques$$$~$$$based$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$machine$$$~$$$learning,$$$~$$$which$$$~$$$evolve$$$~$$$over$$$~$$$time$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$require$$$~$$$frequent$$$~$$$updating.$$$~$$$A$$$~$$$further$$$~$$$key$$$~$$$advantage$$$~$$$consists$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scalability:$$$~$$$By$$$~$$$adjusting$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$number$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$compute$$$~$$$nodes$$$~$$$available$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$reconstruction$$$~$$$cluster,$$$~$$$it$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$possible$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$dynamically$$$~$$$adapt$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$compute$$$~$$$capacity$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$actual$$$~$$$need$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$each$$$~$$$imaging$$$~$$$site.$$$~$$$In$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$event$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$local$$$~$$$hardware$$$~$$$failure$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$during$$$~$$$peak$$$~$$$times,$$$~$$$it$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$possible$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$launch$$$~$$$additional$$$~$$$instances$$$~$$$through$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$cloud-based$$$~$$$service,$$$~$$$so$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$consistent$$$~$$$reconstruction$$$~$$$times$$$~$$$can$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$achieved.$$$~$$$This$$$~$$$could$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$done$$$~$$$seamlessly$$$~$$$without$$$~$$$interruptions$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$need$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$inform$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$operator.$$$~$$$Such$$$~$$$architecture$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$also$$$~$$$create$$$~$$$possibilities$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$per-use$$$~$$$payment$$$~$$$models.$$$~$$$Instead$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$purchasing$$$~$$$expensive$$$~$$$computer$$$~$$$hardware$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$might$$$~$$$not$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$sufficiently$$$~$$$utilized,$$$~$$$imaging$$$~$$$centers$$$~$$$could$$$~$$$rent$$$~$$$compute$$$~$$$instances$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$demand$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$cloud.$$$~$$$Hence,$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$cost$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$reconstruction$$$~$$$services$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$become$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$per-use$$$~$$$charge$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$can$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$assigned$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$charged$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$individual$$$~$$$exam,$$$~$$$making$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$clinical$$$~$$$integration$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$advanced$$$~$$$reconstruction$$$~$$$methods$$$~$$$much$$$~$$$more$$$~$$$cost$$$~$$$effective.
The$$$~$$$idea$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$remote$$$~$$$calculation$$$~$$$can$$$~$$$also$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$extended$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$acquisition$$$~$$$side.$$$~$$$From$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$sequence-programming$$$~$$$perspective,$$$~$$$MRI$$$~$$$scanners$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$basically$$$~$$$5-channel$$$~$$$sequencers$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$play$$$~$$$waveforms$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$readout$$$~$$$events$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$3$$$~$$$gradient$$$~$$$axes$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$2$$$~$$$RF$$$~$$$channels.$$$~$$$Conventionally,$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$waveform$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$timing$$$~$$$calculation$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$done$$$~$$$by$$$~$$$code$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$either$$$~$$$compiled$$$~$$$statically$$$~$$$into$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$software$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$compiled$$$~$$$into$$$~$$$dynamically$$$~$$$loadable$$$~$$$libraries.$$$~$$$This$$$~$$$means$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$any$$$~$$$minor$$$~$$$change$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$requires$$$~$$$recompiling$$$~$$$either$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$complete$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$software$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$library$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$replacing$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$binary$$$~$$$files$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scanner.$$$~$$$Also,$$$~$$$changes$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$protocols$$$~$$$need$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$done$$$~$$$locally$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$every$$$~$$$scanner,$$$~$$$which$$$~$$$creates$$$~$$$an$$$~$$$enormous$$$~$$$effort$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$carries$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$risk$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$inconsistent$$$~$$$scan$$$~$$$protocols$$$~$$$across$$$~$$$scanners.
However,$$$~$$$there$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$no$$$~$$$need$$$~$$$why$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$timing$$$~$$$calculation$$$~$$$must$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$done$$$~$$$directly$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scanner.$$$~$$$Furthermore,$$$~$$$there$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$no$$$~$$$reason$$$~$$$why$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$calculations$$$~$$$must$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$done$$$~$$$by$$$~$$$compiled$$$~$$$code.$$$~$$$Theoretically,$$$~$$$it$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$possible$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$perform$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$calculations$$$~$$$remotely,$$$~$$$transfer$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$instructions$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$form$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$descriptive$$$~$$$language,$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$execute$$$~$$$them.$$$~$$$The$$$~$$$developers$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$Pulseq$$$~$$$project$$$~$$$have$$$~$$$recently$$$~$$$demonstrated$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$feasibility$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$this$$$~$$$principle$$$~$$$(9).$$$~$$$With$$$~$$$Pulseq,$$$~$$$sequences$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$written$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$calculated$$$~$$$using$$$~$$$Matlab$$$~$$$scripts.$$$~$$$The$$$~$$$instructions$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$then$$$~$$$saved$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$text$$$~$$$file,$$$~$$$which$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$transferred$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$executed$$$~$$$with$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$generic$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$reads$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$text$$$~$$$file.$$$~$$$Taking$$$~$$$this$$$~$$$idea$$$~$$$further,$$$~$$$it$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$possible$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$implement$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$calculation$$$~$$$as$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$microservice$$$~$$$running$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$central$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$server.$$$~$$$When$$$~$$$preparing$$$~$$$an$$$~$$$acquisition,$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$contact$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$service$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$identify$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$type,$$$~$$$so$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$service$$$~$$$knows$$$~$$$all$$$~$$$hardware$$$~$$$limitations.$$$~$$$The$$$~$$$service$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$than$$$~$$$calculate$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$timing$$$~$$$table$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$return$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$sequencer$$$~$$$instructions$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$JSON$$$~$$$format.$$$~$$$Afterwards,$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$execute$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$measurement$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$pass$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$acquired$$$~$$$data$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$reconstruction$$$~$$$service.$$$~$$$If$$$~$$$required,$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$microservice$$$~$$$could$$$~$$$also$$$~$$$send$$$~$$$updated$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$instructions$$$~$$$during$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$acquisition$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$enable$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$react$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$external$$$~$$$events$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$sensors.$$$~$$$To$$$~$$$compensate$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$potential$$$~$$$transfer$$$~$$$lag,$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$descriptive$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$language$$$~$$$could$$$~$$$include$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$fallback$$$~$$$loop$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$gets$$$~$$$executed$$$~$$$while$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$waiting$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$updated$$$~$$$instructions$$$~$$$(e.g.,$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$keep$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$magnetization$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$steady-state$$$~$$$condition).
This$$$~$$$modularized$$$~$$$concept$$$~$$$offers$$$~$$$several$$$~$$$important$$$~$$$advantages$$$~$$$over$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$current$$$~$$$development$$$~$$$model.$$$~$$$First,$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$developer$$$~$$$can$$$~$$$use$$$~$$$arbitrary$$$~$$$technology$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$implementing$$$~$$$sequences.$$$~$$$Product$$$~$$$sequences$$$~$$$could$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$implemented$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$C++,$$$~$$$while$$$~$$$research$$$~$$$teams$$$~$$$could$$$~$$$use$$$~$$$rapid$$$~$$$prototyping$$$~$$$languages$$$~$$$such$$$~$$$as$$$~$$$JavaScript,$$$~$$$Python,$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$MATLAB.$$$~$$$It$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$even$$$~$$$possible$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$simply$$$~$$$load$$$~$$$pre-calculated$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$instructions$$$~$$$from$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$database$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$send$$$~$$$these$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scanner.$$$~$$$Because$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$implementation$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$completely$$$~$$$decoupled$$$~$$$from$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$platform,$$$~$$$it$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$possible$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$develop$$$~$$$an$$$~$$$unlimited$$$~$$$number$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$prototypic$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$variations$$$~$$$without$$$~$$$ever$$$~$$$contaminating$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$software$$$~$$$components$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$run$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scanner.$$$~$$$This$$$~$$$possibility$$$~$$$could$$$~$$$include$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$user$$$~$$$interface.$$$~$$$Currently,$$$~$$$all$$$~$$$available$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$controls$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$statically$$$~$$$integrated$$$~$$$into$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$software.$$$~$$$Thus,$$$~$$$whenever$$$~$$$one$$$~$$$additional$$$~$$$control$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$needed,$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$whole$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$software$$$~$$$needs$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$updated.$$$~$$$Moreover,$$$~$$$many$$$~$$$modern$$$~$$$acquisition$$$~$$$techniques$$$~$$$don’t$$$~$$$even$$$~$$$need$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$breadth$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$controls$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$have$$$~$$$been$$$~$$$added$$$~$$$over$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$last$$$~$$$decades.$$$~$$$With$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$microservices$$$~$$$architecture,$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$user$$$~$$$interface$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$each$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$could$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$provided$$$~$$$by$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$microservice$$$~$$$itself$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$seamlessly$$$~$$$embedded$$$~$$$into$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$host$$$~$$$application.$$$~$$$This$$$~$$$could$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$achieved,$$$~$$$e.g.,$$$~$$$with$$$~$$$an$$$~$$$HTML$$$~$$$document$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$microservice$$$~$$$exposes$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$loaded$$$~$$$into$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$web-browser$$$~$$$instance$$$~$$$inside$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$software$$$~$$$-$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$place$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$current$$$~$$$static$$$~$$$controls.$$$~$$$This$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$give$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$developers$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$flexibility$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$create$$$~$$$simplified$$$~$$$interfaces$$$~$$$(e.g.,$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$single$$$~$$$slider$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$allows$$$~$$$selecting$$$~$$$between$$$~$$$resolution$$$~$$$vs.$$$~$$$scan$$$~$$$duration)$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$highly$$$~$$$experimental$$$~$$$interfaces$$$~$$$without$$$~$$$ever$$$~$$$having$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$touch$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$software$$$~$$$components$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$run$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scanner.
Because$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$instances$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$running$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$centralized$$$~$$$servers,$$$~$$$managing$$$~$$$exam$$$~$$$strategies$$$~$$$as$$$~$$$well$$$~$$$as$$$~$$$rolling$$$~$$$out$$$~$$$updated$$$~$$$sequences$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$much$$$~$$$simpler.$$$~$$$It$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$also$$$~$$$eliminate$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$“common”$$$~$$$problem$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$certain$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$not$$$~$$$installed$$$~$$$(or$$$~$$$licensed)$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$particular$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$when$$$~$$$needed.$$$~$$$In$$$~$$$this$$$~$$$regard,$$$~$$$MRI$$$~$$$scanners$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$become$$$~$$$pure$$$~$$$acquisition$$$~$$$devices$$$~$$$while$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$actual$$$~$$$examination$$$~$$$logic$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$managed$$$~$$$remotely.$$$~$$$Decoupling$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$implementation$$$~$$$from$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$furthermore$$$~$$$facilitate$$$~$$$adapting$$$~$$$sequences$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$new$$$~$$$hardware$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$make$$$~$$$testing$$$~$$$easier.$$$~$$$Because$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$interfaces$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$fully$$$~$$$transparent,$$$~$$$it$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$possible$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$connect$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$module$$$~$$$with$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$numerical$$$~$$$Bloch$$$~$$$simulator$$$~$$$instead$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$an$$$~$$$actual$$$~$$$scanner.$$$~$$$In$$$~$$$this$$$~$$$way,$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$could$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$tested$$$~$$$comprehensively$$$~$$$without$$$~$$$ever$$$~$$$running$$$~$$$it$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$real$$$~$$$MRI$$$~$$$system,$$$~$$$which$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$reduce$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$time$$$~$$$needed$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$debugging$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$enable$$$~$$$automated$$$~$$$testing$$$~$$$procedures.$$$~$$$It$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$also$$$~$$$allow$$$~$$$independent$$$~$$$developers$$$~$$$without$$$~$$$access$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$an$$$~$$$MRI$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$develop$$$~$$$new$$$~$$$applications.$$$~$$$Lastly,$$$~$$$remote$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$calculation$$$~$$$could$$$~$$$also$$$~$$$serve$$$~$$$as$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$mechanism$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$distributing$$$~$$$sequences.$$$~$$$Instead$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$sending$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$set$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$binary$$$~$$$files$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$customer$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$collaboration$$$~$$$partner,$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scanners$$$~$$$could$$$~$$$connect$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$(public)$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$server$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$developer$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$request$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$instructions$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$fly.$$$~$$$This$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$guarantee$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$always$$$~$$$executes$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$most$$$~$$$up-to-date$$$~$$$version$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$sequence.$$$~$$$It$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$also$$$~$$$enable$$$~$$$pay-per-use$$$~$$$models$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$acquisition$$$~$$$techniques.
The$$$~$$$flexibility$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$microservices$$$~$$$create$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$third-party$$$~$$$developers$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$pose$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$radical$$$~$$$change$$$~$$$from$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$current$$$~$$$“academic”$$$~$$$dissemination$$$~$$$model$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$MRI$$$~$$$world$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$create$$$~$$$new$$$~$$$pathways$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$rapid$$$~$$$clinical$$$~$$$translation.$$$~$$$Although$$$~$$$many$$$~$$$MRI$$$~$$$researchers$$$~$$$today$$$~$$$develop$$$~$$$software$$$~$$$code$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$their$$$~$$$daily$$$~$$$work,$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$it$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$new$$$~$$$sequence$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$reconstruction$$$~$$$algorithm,$$$~$$$research$$$~$$$developments$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$rarely$$$~$$$distributed$$$~$$$directly.$$$~$$$Instead,$$$~$$$researchers$$$~$$$typically$$$~$$$perform$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$series$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$experiments$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$publish$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$results$$$~$$$either$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$form$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$scientific$$$~$$$publication$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$patent$$$~$$$application.$$$~$$$At$$$~$$$this$$$~$$$point,$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$research$$$~$$$work$$$~$$$typically$$$~$$$ends.$$$~$$$Further$$$~$$$translation$$$~$$$into$$$~$$$clinical$$$~$$$practice$$$~$$$takes$$$~$$$only$$$~$$$place$$$~$$$if$$$~$$$an$$$~$$$industry$$$~$$$developer$$$~$$$becomes$$$~$$$aware$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$work$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$tries$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$reproduce$$$~$$$it.$$$~$$$The$$$~$$$vendor$$$~$$$must$$$~$$$then$$$~$$$decide$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$integrate$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$new$$$~$$$method$$$~$$$into$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$next$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$generation,$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$by$$$~$$$selling$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$new$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$customer,$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$method$$$~$$$finally$$$~$$$arrives$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$clinic.$$$~$$$This$$$~$$$process$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$highly$$$~$$$inefficient$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$affected$$$~$$$by$$$~$$$two$$$~$$$bottlenecks:$$$~$$$On$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$one$$$~$$$hand,$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$bandwidth$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$industry$$$~$$$developers$$$~$$$is$$$~$$$usually$$$~$$$limited$$$~$$$while$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$complexity$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$novel$$$~$$$MRI$$$~$$$techniques$$$~$$$increases.$$$~$$$On$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$other$$$~$$$hand,$$$~$$$modern$$$~$$$MRI$$$~$$$systems$$$~$$$have$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$very$$$~$$$long$$$~$$$lifespan$$$~$$$(10-20$$$~$$$years),$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$because$$$~$$$new$$$~$$$techniques$$$~$$$are$$$~$$$only$$$~$$$integrated$$$~$$$into$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$latest$$$~$$$generation$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$devices,$$$~$$$it$$$~$$$takes$$$~$$$significant$$$~$$$time$$$~$$$until$$$~$$$new$$$~$$$techniques$$$~$$$gain$$$~$$$relevant$$$~$$$distribution.
A$$$~$$$microservice-based$$$~$$$open$$$~$$$development$$$~$$$model$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$disrupt$$$~$$$this$$$~$$$process.$$$~$$$It$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$allow$$$~$$$universities$$$~$$$or$$$~$$$startup$$$~$$$companies$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$develop$$$~$$$innovative$$$~$$$solutions$$$~$$$independently$$$~$$$from$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$large$$$~$$$vendors$$$~$$$and,$$$~$$$moreover,$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$disseminate$$$~$$$these$$$~$$$developments$$$~$$$into$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$clinic,$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$example$$$~$$$through$$$~$$$an$$$~$$$app-store$$$~$$$model.$$$~$$$This$$$~$$$would,$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$first$$$~$$$time,$$$~$$$create$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$real$$$~$$$incentive$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$professional$$$~$$$perspective$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$researchers$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$bring$$$~$$$their$$$~$$$developments$$$~$$$into$$$~$$$clinical$$$~$$$practice$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$result$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$significant$$$~$$$gain$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$development$$$~$$$power.$$$~$$$It$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$enable$$$~$$$development$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$highly$$$~$$$specialized$$$~$$$solutions,$$$~$$$which$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$not$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$profitable$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$large$$$~$$$vendors,$$$~$$$it$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$enable$$$~$$$pay-per-use$$$~$$$licensing$$$~$$$models,$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$it$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$make$$$~$$$it$$$~$$$possible$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$continuously$$$~$$$deliver$$$~$$$innovations$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$installed$$$~$$$base$$$~$$$systems.$$$~$$$The$$$~$$$latter$$$~$$$should$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$high$$$~$$$interest$$$~$$$also$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$vendors,$$$~$$$as$$$~$$$it$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$allow$$$~$$$ongoing$$$~$$$revenue$$$~$$$generation$$$~$$$from$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$installed$$$~$$$base$$$~$$$instead$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$merely$$$~$$$counting$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$replacement$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$systems.
Creating$$$~$$$such$$$~$$$an$$$~$$$open$$$~$$$development$$$~$$$platform$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$not$$$~$$$be$$$~$$$too$$$~$$$difficult$$$~$$$from$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$technical$$$~$$$perspective.$$$~$$$It$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$mainly$$$~$$$require$$$~$$$definition$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$reliable$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$documented$$$~$$$scanner$$$~$$$interfaces$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$form$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$REST$$$~$$$protocols.$$$~$$$In$$$~$$$addition,$$$~$$$it$$$~$$$would$$$~$$$require$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$vendors’$$$~$$$agreement$$$~$$$on$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$common$$$~$$$legal$$$~$$$framework$$$~$$$that$$$~$$$protects$$$~$$$developers$$$~$$$and$$$~$$$makes$$$~$$$it$$$~$$$sustainable$$$~$$$for$$$~$$$third$$$~$$$parties$$$~$$$to$$$~$$$commit$$$~$$$sufficient$$$~$$$resources$$$~$$$into$$$~$$$the$$$~$$$development$$$~$$$of$$$~$$$MRI$$$~$$$microservices.$$$~$$$Bringing$$$~$$$such$$$~$$$agreements$$$~$$$in$$$~$$$place$$$~$$$should$$$~$$$become$$$~$$$a$$$~$$$joint$$$~$$$effort$$$~$$$within$$$~$$$our$$$~$$$scientific$$$~$$$community.
1. https://www.nginx.com/blog/introduction-to-microservices
2. https://martinfowler.com/articles/microservices.html
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchestration_(computing)
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representational_state_transfer
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertext_Transfer_Protocol
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JSON
7. Block KT, Grimm R, Feng L, Otazo R, Chandarana H, Bruno M, Geppert C, Sodickson DK. Bringing Compressed Sensing to Clinical Reality: Prototypic Setup for Evaluation in Routine Applications. In Proc. Intl. Soc. Mag. Reson. Med. 21 (2013): 3809
8. Xue H, Inati S, Sørensen TS, Kellman P, Hansen MS. Distributed MRI reconstruction using Gadgetron-based cloud computing. Magn Reson Med. 2015 Mar;73(3):1015-1025
9. Layton KJ, Kroboth S, Jia F, Littin S, Yu H, Leupold J, Nielsen JF, Stöcker T, Zaitsev M. Pulseq: A rapid and hardware-independent pulse sequence prototyping framework. Magn Reson Med. 2017 Apr;77(4):1544-1552
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webhook