Automatic Quantification of Image Distortion in Prostate Diffusion-Weighted Imaging

Motivation: DWI is crucial for prostate cancer imaging, but its susceptibility to image distortion poses challenges to reading and leads to a substantial rate of nondiagnostic scans. Goal(s): This study aimed to develop and compare two algorithms for automatic distortion assessment for prostate DWI. Approach: Two automatic distortion assessment methods were developed based on image segmentation, and deformable registration. Both were validated and compared using radiology grading as the reference. Results: Both distortion assessment methods quantified the levels of image distortion in prostate DWI consistent with visual assessments and correlated well with expert ratings. The deformable registration-based approach appeared to outperform its counterpart. Impact: The developed methods for automatic assessment of image distortion may assist in acquiring high-quality prostate DWI and reducing patient recalls.