MRI artifacts and correction strategies

Artifacts appear in MRI for a variety of reasons. Potential sources of artifacts include nonideal hardware characteristics, intrinsic tissue properties and biological behavior, assumptions underlying the data acquisition and image reconstruction process, and poor choice of scanning parameters. Careful study design and scanning protocols can prevent certain artifacts from occurring, but some are unavoidable. Numerous correction methods have been developed to mitigate the corruptive effects of artifacts and improve image diagnostic quality. These methods include special pulse sequence designs, improved scanning procedures and equipment, and advanced postprocessing algorithms. Recognizing artifacts and understanding their underlying causes are important when interpreting images and choosing a correction approach.