Rectification of distortion in MRI for stereotaxy

It is shown that it is possible to provide an effective, patient-specific correction to geometrical distortion in MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) for use in stereotaxy. The authors examine two correction techniques, each based on the acquisition of an additional image of the patient utilizing a reversed readout gradient. Information from the additional image is combined with that of the standard image to provide geometrically corrected coordinates for targets identified by a neurosurgeon. They have applied the technique retrospectively to images of a patient who has undergone stereotaxic surgery, and they show that large geometrical errors are corrected