A theoretical method for the use of a phantom to enhance image reconstruction in MRI

A simple technique is proposed in which a phantom could be used to calibrate an image acquired during an magnetic resonance imaging scan. The method corrects for the effects of nonlinearities in the gradient fields, and in principle does so exactly. The mathematics behind the technique is discussed, and a simple tutorial example is presented as an illustration. The technique is then tested on an actual (photographic) image, and it is shown to be able to recover much of the original picture, even in the presence of strongly nonlinear gradients. 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Concepts Magn Reson Part B (Magn Reson Engineering) 39B: 98-108, 2011