Practical correction of gradient nonlinearity bias for mean diffusion kurtosis model parameters  

Quantitative tissue diffusion parameters derived from diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) models hold promise for diagnostic and prognostic clinical oncology applications. System-dependent spatial DW bias due to gradient nonlinearity (GNL) is known confounding factor for quantitative DWI metrics. Improved accuracy and multiplatform reproducibility was previously demonstrated for mono-exponential apparent diffusion coefficient with correction for platform-dependent GNL bias (GNC). Complex tumor microenvironment often exhibits multi-exponential diffusion described by isotropic kurtosis model. This study proposes analytical extension and demonstrates empirical confirmation for GNC of parametric maps derived from diffusion kurtosis model.