Efficacy of a Nonrigid Image-registration Method in Comparison to Readout-segmented Echo-planar Imaging for Correcting Distortion in Diffusion-weighted Imaging.

We evaluated the effectiveness of distortion correction using a nonrigid image registration method in diffusion-weighted imaging, comparing it with readout-segmented echo planar imaging (RS-EPI). Unlike the RS-EPI, the effectiveness of the distortion correction of the nonrigid registration method depended on the slice level, being most accurate at the level of the basal ganglia, lateral ventricle, and centrum semiovale.