Spatial Transformations of High Angular Resolution Diffusion Imaging Data in Q-space

A crucial operation in every image registration algorithm is the application of a spatial transformation to an image. For scalar valued images, this particular operation is rather trivial. For diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) data however, the problem is more complex due to the information in every voxel being dependent on the angular structure of the underlying tissue. Methods for transforming the diffusion tensor and the fiber orientation distribution function from high angular resolution diffusion imaging have already been proposed. In order to perform registration of DWI data irrespectively of (i.e. before the application of) any particular reconstruction method, it should be done straight on the signal functions in q-space. In this work, we specifically consider the problem of transforming the signal functions in q-space. We develop a plausible method to accomplish this. The proposed method preserves anisotropic as well as isotropic volume fractions.Dhollander, T., Van Hecke, W., Maes, F., Sunaert, S., Suetens, P.: Spatial Transformations of High Angular Resolution Diffusion Imaging Data in Q-space. In: MICCAI 13, CDMRI Workshop, pp. 73–83 (2010)status: publishe