MR SUSCEPTIBILITY MISREGISTRATION CORRECTION

We present a new in vivo method to correct the nonlinear, object-shape-dependent and material-dependent spatial distortion in MR images caused by magnetic susceptibility variations. This distortion across the air/tissue interface before and after the correction is quantified using a phantom. The results are compared to the ''distortion-free'' CT images of the same phantom by fusing CT and MR images using fiducials, with a registration accuracy of better than a millimeter. The distortion at the bone/tissue boundary is negligible compared to the typical MRI resolution of 1 mm, while that at the air/tissue boundary creates displacements of about 2 mm (for B(o) = 1.5 T and G(x) = 3.13 mT/m). This is a significant value if MRI is to provide highly accurate geometric measurements, as in the case of target localization for stereotaxic surgery. Our correction scheme provides MR images with accuracy similar to that of CT: 1 mm. We also present a new method to estimate the magnetic susceptibility of materials from MR images. The magnetic susceptibility of cortical bone is measured using a SQUED magnetometer, and is found to be -8.86 ppm (with respect to air), which is quite similar to that of tissue (-9 ppm).