Prospective motion detection and re-acquisition in diffusion MRI using a phase image–based method—Application to brain and tongue imaging

Purpose: To develop an image-based motion-robust diffusion MRI (dMRI) acquisition framework that is able to minimize motion artifacts caused by rigid and nonrigid motion, applicable to both brain and tongue dMRI. Methods: We developed a novel prospective motion-correction technique in dMRI using a phase image–based real-time motion-detection method (PITA-MDD) with re-acquisition of motion-corrupted images. The prospective PITA-MDD acquisition technique was tested in the brains and tongues of volunteers. The subjects were instructed to move their heads or swallow, to induce motion. Motion-detection efficacy was validated against visual inspection as the gold standard. The effect of the PITA-MDD technique on diffusion-parameter estimates was evaluated by comparing reconstructed fiber tracts using tractography with and without re-acquisition. Results: The prospective PITA-MDD technique was able to effectively and accurately detect motion-corrupted data as compared with visual inspection. Tractography results demonstrated that PITA-MDD motion detection followed by re-acquisition helps in recovering lost and misshaped fiber tracts in the brain and tongue that would otherwise be corrupted by motion and yield erroneous estimates of the diffusion tensor. Conclusion: A prospective PITA-MDD technique was developed for dMRI acquisition, providing improved dMRI image quality and motion-robust diffusion estimation of the brain and tongue.