Improving precision and accuracy of DTI experiments with the simplified BSD calibration - computer simulations

The b-matrix spatial distribution (BSD) is an effective method of improving accuracy of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measurements. It is based on a calibration with an anisotropic phantom measured in six positions inside an MRI scanner. However, if the contribution of non-diffusion gradients to the b-matrix can be neglected, simplified form of calibration with only 3 positions of the phantom could be sufficient. We called this approach simplified BSD-DTI (sBSD-DTI). In this paper we introduce the above-mentioned technique and present the results of the computer simulations of BSD-DTI experiments and compare them with standard DTI. The complete BSD method, sBSD as well as BSD with assumption of phantom uniformity (uBSD) were simulated. The simulations revealed that both simplified methods are less accurate than the complete BSD-DTI. Nevertheless, the calibration procedures and the algorithms are streamlined.