The present invention includes a method and apparatus to correct for gradient
field distortions. The invention is particularly applicable in moving table imaging
where a single extended image is desirable. The invention includes acquiring MR
data in motion in the presence of gradient non-linearities, transforming the MR
data acquired into the image domain, and then applying a warping correction function
to the transformed MR data. The warp-corrected MR data is then corrected for motion
induced during the MR acquisition. The data may be acquired point-by-point, line-by-line,
or another sub-portion of the entire MR data acquired, and processed to minimize
the amount of motion correction needed. Based on table velocity or acquisition
sequence applied, the data is partitioned based on a common motion correction factor,
and after correcting for motion, the data is accumulated to build up a final image.