End-to-end susceptibility-induced distortion correction for diffusion MRI with unsupervised deep learning.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: End-to-end susceptibility-induced distortion correction for diffusion MRI with unsupervised deep learning.
Authors: Feng, Jianhui1 (AUTHOR) 23210850006@m.fudan.edu.cn, Shi, Yonggang2 (AUTHOR) Yonggang.Shi@loni.usc.edu, Qiao, Yuchuan1 (AUTHOR) yuchuanqiao@fudan.edu.cn
Source: Pattern Recognition. May2026, Vol. 173, pN.PAG-N.PAG. 1p.
Subjects: Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging, Deep learning, Machine learning, Decoding algorithms, Artificial neural networks
Abstract: • To improve the accuracy and efficiency of susceptibility-induced distortion correction in diffusion MRI, we develop a novel coarse-to-fine unsupervised deep learning-based framework in an end-to-end manner. • We propose DiscoNet, a pyramid-based distortion correction network that effectively learns a distortion field from FOD images in two opposite PEs. Specifically, we design a dual-branch encoder that aggregates the advantages of CNNs and Swin Transformer to separately extract the rich information from FOD images. A multi-resolution decoder is then used to learn the deformation field from coarse to fine. • Extensive experiments across three datasets-HCP, HCP-Aging, and HCLV-with over 1400 cases, demonstrate the superior and efficient correction performance of our method for dMRI data. • We confirm the robust out-of-domain generalizability of our method by training DiscoNet on HCP-Aging data and subsequently testing its efficacy on HCLV data sourced from various sites. This process effectively showcases the capacity of our method to accurately correct the distortions in previously unseen diffusion MRI datasets. High-resolution, multi-shell diffusion MRI (dMRI) data provides exceptional advantages for studying human brain pathways. However, significant residual distortions remain in certain brain regions, such as the brainstem, even after processing with existing distortion correction methods. In this paper, we propose a novel unsupervised learning-based framework to correct the susceptibility-induced distortion in dMRI. This end-to-end coarse-to-fine network named Distortion Correction Network (DiscoNet), consists of a dual-branch encoder and a multi-resolution decoder. Instead of using the b0 (b = 0) image in most methods, fiber orientation distribution (FOD) images computed from dMRI data are utilized to provide more reliable information. A dual-branch encoder integrating the advantages of Convolutional Neural Networks and Swin Transformer is designed to capture the latent information of FOD images from opposite phase encoding (PE) separately; while a subsequent multi-resolution decoder decomposes the distortion fields into rigid and non-rigid components. We then evaluated our method on large-scale datasets with over 1400 cases, including data in AP-PA PE direction and RL-LR PE direction. Comprehensive experiments had shown that our method achieves over 42 % improvement in the Mean Square Difference (MSD) metric for distortion correction compared to the SOTA methods in the pons of the brainstem region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Pattern Recognition is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Engineering Source
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: egs
DbLabel: Engineering Source
An: 191005636
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: End-to-end susceptibility-induced distortion correction for diffusion MRI with unsupervised deep learning.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Feng%2C+Jianhui%22">Feng, Jianhui</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> 23210850006@m.fudan.edu.cn</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Shi%2C+Yonggang%22">Shi, Yonggang</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> Yonggang.Shi@loni.usc.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Qiao%2C+Yuchuan%22">Qiao, Yuchuan</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> yuchuanqiao@fudan.edu.cn</i>
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Pattern+Recognition%22">Pattern Recognition</searchLink>. May2026, Vol. 173, pN.PAG-N.PAG. 1p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subjects
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Diffusion+magnetic+resonance+imaging%22">Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Deep+learning%22">Deep learning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Machine+learning%22">Machine learning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Decoding+algorithms%22">Decoding algorithms</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Artificial+neural+networks%22">Artificial neural networks</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: • To improve the accuracy and efficiency of susceptibility-induced distortion correction in diffusion MRI, we develop a novel coarse-to-fine unsupervised deep learning-based framework in an end-to-end manner. • We propose DiscoNet, a pyramid-based distortion correction network that effectively learns a distortion field from FOD images in two opposite PEs. Specifically, we design a dual-branch encoder that aggregates the advantages of CNNs and Swin Transformer to separately extract the rich information from FOD images. A multi-resolution decoder is then used to learn the deformation field from coarse to fine. • Extensive experiments across three datasets-HCP, HCP-Aging, and HCLV-with over 1400 cases, demonstrate the superior and efficient correction performance of our method for dMRI data. • We confirm the robust out-of-domain generalizability of our method by training DiscoNet on HCP-Aging data and subsequently testing its efficacy on HCLV data sourced from various sites. This process effectively showcases the capacity of our method to accurately correct the distortions in previously unseen diffusion MRI datasets. High-resolution, multi-shell diffusion MRI (dMRI) data provides exceptional advantages for studying human brain pathways. However, significant residual distortions remain in certain brain regions, such as the brainstem, even after processing with existing distortion correction methods. In this paper, we propose a novel unsupervised learning-based framework to correct the susceptibility-induced distortion in dMRI. This end-to-end coarse-to-fine network named Distortion Correction Network (DiscoNet), consists of a dual-branch encoder and a multi-resolution decoder. Instead of using the b0 (b = 0) image in most methods, fiber orientation distribution (FOD) images computed from dMRI data are utilized to provide more reliable information. A dual-branch encoder integrating the advantages of Convolutional Neural Networks and Swin Transformer is designed to capture the latent information of FOD images from opposite phase encoding (PE) separately; while a subsequent multi-resolution decoder decomposes the distortion fields into rigid and non-rigid components. We then evaluated our method on large-scale datasets with over 1400 cases, including data in AP-PA PE direction and RL-LR PE direction. Comprehensive experiments had shown that our method achieves over 42 % improvement in the Mean Square Difference (MSD) metric for distortion correction compared to the SOTA methods in the pons of the brainstem region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Pattern Recognition is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=egs&AN=191005636
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1016/j.patcog.2025.112894
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 1
        StartPage: N.PAG
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Deep learning
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Machine learning
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Decoding algorithms
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Artificial neural networks
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: End-to-end susceptibility-induced distortion correction for diffusion MRI with unsupervised deep learning.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Feng, Jianhui
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Shi, Yonggang
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Qiao, Yuchuan
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 05
              Text: May2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 00313203
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 173
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Pattern Recognition
              Type: main
ResultId 1