Intensity Non-uniformity Correction of Magnetic Resonance Images Using a Fuzzy Segmentation Algorithm

Artifacts in magnetic resonance images can make conventional intensity-based segmentation methods very difficult, especially for the spatial intensity non-uniformity induced by the radio frequency (RF) coil. The non-uniformity introduces a slow-varying shading artifact across the images. Many advanced techniques, such as nonparametric, multi-channel methods, cannot solve the problem. In this paper, the extension of an improved fuzzy segmentation method, based on the traditional fuzzy c-means (FCM) algorithm and neighborhood attraction, is proposed to correct the intensity non-uniformity. Experimental results on both synthetic non-MR and MR images are given demonstrate the superiority of the algorithm.