Prospective motion correction in 2D multishot MRI using EPI navigators and multislice-to-volume image registration

Prospective motion correction reduces artifacts in MRI by correcting for subject motion in real time, but techniques are limited for multishot 2-dimensional (2D) sequences. This study addresses this limitation by using 2D echo-planar imaging (EPI) slice navigator acquisitions together with a multislice-to-volume image registration.

The 2D-EPI navigators were integrated into 2D imaging sequences to allow a rapid, real-time motion correction based on the registration of three navigator slices to a reference volume. A dedicated slice-iteration scheme was used to limit mutual spin-saturation effects between navigator and image data. The method was evaluated using T₂ -weighted spin echo and multishot rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement (RARE) sequences, and its motion-correction capabilities were compared with those of periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction (PROPELLER). Validation was performed in vivo using a well-defined motion protocol.

Data acquired during subject motion showed residual motion parameters within ±0.5 mm and ±0.5°, and demonstrated a substantial improvement in image quality compared with uncorrected scans. In a comparison to PROPELLER, the proposed technique preserved a higher level of anatomical detail in the presence of subject motion.

EPI-navigator-based prospective motion correction using multislice-to-volume image registration can substantially reduce image artifacts, while minimizing spin-saturation effects. The method can be adapted for use in other 2D MRI sequences and promises to improve image quality in routine clinical examinations. Magn Reson Med 78:2127-2135, 2017. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.