Spatial correction of echo planar imaging deformation for subject specific diffusion tensor MRI analysis

Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI or DTI) is a specialized mode of MRI, used for functional imaging of the body´s internal structures. Echo planar imaging (EPI), the currently accepted protocol for acquiring DTI, suffers from severe image artefact, which complicates analysis of the data. We present our current progress in registration of T2-weighted MRI acquired with EPI and conventional protocols. The reported algorithm uses a multiresolution registration method with B-spline transform to correct for spatial deformation. This is the first step in registration of a full DTI dataset. It was found that direct application of a popular B- spline algorithm can correct some deformation in the images but further refinements are required to achieve more accurate results.