Methods for rectification of B0 inhomogeneity effects in magnetic resonance images

1. A method, comprising:

obtaining a low-resolution reference volumetric MR image of an anatomical structure of interest, such low-resolution reference volumetric MR image being distortion-resistant;

obtaining a high-resolution volumetric MR image of the anatomical structure of interest, such high-resolution volumetric MR image having B0 inhomogeneous effects;

registering the low-resolution reference volumetric MR image with the high-resolution volumetric MR image;

calculating a distortion within the high-resolution volumetric MR image of the anatomical structure of interest based on a registration of the low-resolution reference volumetric MR image with the high-resolution volumetric MR image; and

correcting the B0 inhomogeneous effects in the high-resolution volumetric MR image using the distortion.

2. The method recited in claim 1 further comprising:

extracting reference identifiable characteristics from the low-resolution reference volumetric MR image; and

extracting high-resolution identifiable characteristics from the high-resolution volumetric MR image, wherein the high-resolution identifiable characteristics correspond to the reference identifiable characteristics, wherein

registering the low-resolution reference volumetric MR image with the high-resolution volumetric MR image is based on a comparison of the reference identifiable characteristics and the high-resolution identifiable characteristics.

3. The method recited in claim 2 wherein the reference identifiable characteristics and the high-resolution identifiable characteristics comprise edges in the low-resolution reference volumetric MR image and the high-resolution volumetric MR image.

4. The method recited in claim 1 further comprising:

performing image rectification on the high-resolution volumetric MR image of the anatomical structure of interest.

5. The method recited in claim 1 wherein:

the low-resolution reference volumetric MR image and the high-resolution volumetric MR image are registered onto a common reference coordinate system.

6. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the high-resolution volumetric MR image comprises a plurality of high-resolution images, and each one of the plurality of high-resolution images corresponds to a different portion of a region of the anatomical structure of interest.

7. The method recited in claim 6 wherein the low-resolution reference volumetric MR image corresponds to the entire region of the anatomical structure of interest.

8. The method recited in claim 6 wherein the low-resolution reference volumetric MR image comprises a plurality of reference images, and each one of the plurality of reference images corresponds to a different one of the plurality of high-resolution images.

9. The method recited in claim 8 wherein the plurality of high-resolution images and the plurality of reference images are obtained using different protocols.

10. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the high-resolution volumetric MR image is obtained with a reference template placed on the anatomical structure of interest, the reference template comprises MR identifiable markers, and the MR identifiable markers provide a set of identifiable characteristics.

11. A method for reducing B0 inhomogeneous effects in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), comprising:

obtaining a primary image volume of an anatomical structure of interest, wherein the primary image volume has a high image resolution and includes B0 inhomogeneous effects;

obtaining a secondary image volume of the anatomical structure of interest, wherein the secondary image volume has an image resolution lower than the high image resolution of the primary image volume and does not include B0 inhomogeneous effects, and an acquisition time of the secondary image volume is less than an acquisition time of the primary image volume;

calculating distortion within the primary image volume based on a comparison of the primary image volume and the secondary image volume; and

reducing the B0 inhomogeneous effects in the primary image volume using the calculated distortion.

12. The method recited in claim 11 further comprising:

extracting primary identifiable characteristics from the primary image volume; and

extracting secondary identifiable characteristics from the secondary image volume, wherein the secondary identifiable characteristics correspond to the primary identifiable characteristics, wherein

calculating the distortion within the primary image volume is based on a comparison of the primary identifiable characteristics and the secondary identifiable characteristics.

13. The method recited in claim 12 wherein the primary identifiable characteristics and the secondary identifiable characteristics comprise edges in the primary image volume and the secondary image volume.

14. The method recited in claim 11 wherein the primary image volume comprises a plurality of high-resolution images, and each one of the plurality of high-resolution images corresponds to a different portion of a region of the anatomical structure of interest.

15. The method recited in claim 14 wherein the secondary image volume comprises a plurality of low-resolution images, and each one of the plurality of low-resolution images corresponds to a different one of the plurality of high-resolution images.

16. A method for reducing B0 inhomogeneous effects in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), comprising:

obtaining a high-resolution volumetric MR image of an anatomical structure of interest, such high-resolution volumetric MR image having B0 inhomogeneous effects;

registering the high-resolution volumetric MR image with a secondary volumetric MR image of the anatomical structure of interest;

obtaining a deformation field based on a registration of the high-resolution volumetric MR image with the secondary volumetric MR image, wherein the deformation field reveals the B0 inhomogeneous effects; and

correcting the B0 inhomogeneous effects in the high-resolution volumetric MR image based on the deformation field.

17. The method recited in claim 16 further comprising:

extracting high-resolution identifiable characteristics from the high-resolution volumetric MR image; and

extracting low-resolution identifiable characteristics from the secondary volumetric MR image, wherein the low-resolution identifiable characteristics correspond to the high-resolution identifiable characteristics, wherein

registering the high-resolution volumetric MR image with the secondary volumetric MR image is based on a comparison of the high-resolution identifiable characteristics and the low-resolution identifiable characteristics.

18. The method recited in claim 16 wherein the high-resolution volumetric MR image comprises a plurality of high-resolution images, and each one of the plurality of high-resolution images corresponds to a different portion of a region of the anatomical structure of interest.

19. The method recited in claim 18 wherein the secondary volumetric MR image comprises a plurality of low-resolution images, and each one of the plurality of 7low-resolution images corresponds to a different one of the plurality of high-resolution images.

20. A method for reducing B0 inhomogeneous effects in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), comprising:

obtaining a low-resolution reference volumetric MR image of an anatomical structure of interest, wherein the low-resolution reference volumetric MR image is distortion-resistant, comprises a plurality of reference images, and each one of the plurality of reference images corresponds to a different portion of a region of the anatomical structure of interest;

extracting reference identifiable characteristics from the plurality of reference images;

obtaining a high-resolution volumetric MR image of the anatomical structure of interest, wherein the high-resolution volumetric MR image has B0 inhomogeneous effects, comprises a plurality of high-resolution images, and each one of the plurality of high-resolution images corresponds to a different one of the plurality of reference images;

extracting high-resolution identifiable characteristics from the plurality of high-resolution images;

registering each of the plurality of reference images with a corresponding one of the plurality of high-resolution images based on the extracted reference identifiable characteristics and the extracted high-resolution identifiable characteristics;

calculating distortion within the high-resolution volumetric MR image based on the registration; and

correcting the B0 inhomogeneous effects in the high-resolution volumetric MR image.