# Patch-Based Diffusion for Data-Efficient, Radiologist-Preferred MRI Reconstruction

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.21531 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.21531/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Medical imaging and segmentation, one of 14 directions in Diffusion models.
- Builds on 16 of its 24 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 25 Sep 2025.

## Placed in

- Diffusion models / [Medical imaging and segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/diffusion/medical-imaging-and-segmentation/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 16 of 16)

- [Score-Based Generative Modeling through Stochastic Differential Equations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2011.13456/) (2020)
- [Elucidating the Design Space of Diffusion-Based Generative Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2206.00364/) (2022)
- [Diffusion Posterior Sampling for General Noisy Inverse Problems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.14687/) (2022)
- [fastMRI: An Open Dataset and Benchmarks for Accelerated MRI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1811.08839/) (2018)
- [MoDL: Model Based Deep Learning Architecture for Inverse Problems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1712.02862/) (2017)
- [Score-based diffusion models for accelerated MRI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.05243/) (2021)
- [Robust Compressed Sensing MRI with Deep Generative Priors](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.01368/) (2021)
- [Patch Diffusion: Faster and More Data-Efficient Training of Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.12526/) (2023)
- [Patched Diffusion Models for Unsupervised Anomaly Detection in Brain MRI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.03758/) (2023)
- [Solving Inverse Problems with Score-Based Generative Priors learned from Noisy Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.01166/) (2023)
- [Ambient Diffusion Posterior Sampling: Solving Inverse Problems with Diffusion Models Trained on Corrupted Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.08728/) (2024)
- [Learning Image Priors through Patch-based Diffusion Models for Solving Inverse Problems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.02462/) (2024)
- [A Survey of Emerging Applications of Diffusion Probabilistic Models in MRI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.11383/) (2023)
- [Patch-Based Diffusion Models Beat Whole-Image Models for Mismatched Distribution Inverse Problems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.11730/) (2024)
- [Robust multi-coil MRI reconstruction via self-supervised denoising](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.12919/) (2024)
- [Investigating the Feasibility of Patch-based Inference for Generalized Diffusion Priors in Inverse Problems for Medical Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.15309/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) requires long acquisition times, raising costs, reducing accessibility, and making scans more susceptible to motion artifacts. Diffusion probabilistic models that learn data-driven priors can potentially assist in reducing acquisition time. However, they typically require large training datasets that can be prohibitively expensive to collect. Patch-based diffusion models have shown promise in learning effective data-driven priors over small real-valued datasets, but have not yet demonstrated clinical value in MRI. We extend the Patch-based Diffusion Inverse Solver (PaDIS) to complex-valued, multi-coil MRI reconstruction, and compare it against a state-of-the-art whole-image diffusion baseline (FastMRI-EDM) for 7x undersampled MRI reconstruction on the FastMRI brain dataset. We show that PaDIS-MRI models trained on small datasets of as few as 25 k-space images outperform FastMRI-EDM on image quality metrics (PSNR, SSIM, NRMSE), pixel-level uncertainty, cross-contrast generalization, and robustness to severe k-space undersampling. In a blinded study with three radiologists, PaDIS-MRI reconstructions were chosen as diagnostically superior in 91.7% of cases, compared to baselines (i) FastMRI-EDM and (ii) classical convex reconstruction with wavelet sparsity. These findings highlight the potential of patch-based diffusion priors for high-fidelity MRI reconstruction in data-scarce clinical settings where diagnostic confidence matters.