Improving Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Accuracy on a Compact 3T MRI Scanner using Gradient Non-linearity Correction

Errors are introduced into apparent diffusion coefficient quantification of diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) due to imperfect gradient linearity. A post-processing gradient non-linearity (GNL) correction algorithm can alleviate this problem on a conventional whole-body MR scanner equipped with a symmetrical gradient system. A compact 3T (C3T) scanner with a high-performance gradient was recently developed and exhibits more complex GNL than conventional whole-body gradients due to its asymmetric design. Here, we test the robustness of this GNL correction on the C3T using phantom and in-vivo experiments, and demonstrated improved accuracy of quantitative maps for DWI on the C3T using this algorithm.