diff --git a/Core/Code/Algorithms/mitkImageToItk.txx b/Core/Code/Algorithms/mitkImageToItk.txx
index 5c5b9f0503..a78aa77133 100644
--- a/Core/Code/Algorithms/mitkImageToItk.txx
+++ b/Core/Code/Algorithms/mitkImageToItk.txx
@@ -1,232 +1,260 @@
 /*=========================================================================
 
   Program:   Medical Imaging & Interaction Toolkit
   Module:    $RCSfile$
   Language:  C++
   Date:      $Date$
   Version:   $Revision$
 
 Copyright (c) German Cancer Research Center, Division of Medical and
 Biological Informatics. All rights reserved.
 See MITKCopyright.txt or http://www.mitk.org/ for details.
 
      This software is distributed WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even
      the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
      PURPOSE.  See the above copyright notices for more information.
 
 =========================================================================*/
 
 #ifndef IMAGETOITK_TXX_INCLUDED_C1C2FCD2
 #define IMAGETOITK_TXX_INCLUDED_C1C2FCD2
 
 #include "mitkImageToItk.h"
 #include "mitkBaseProcess.h"
 #include "itkImportMitkImageContainer.h"
 #include <itkSmartPointerForwardReference.txx>
 
 
 template <class TOutputImage>
 void mitk::ImageToItk<TOutputImage>::SetInput(const mitk::Image *input)
 {
   if(input == NULL)
     itkExceptionMacro( << "image is null" );
   if(input->GetDimension()!=TOutputImage::GetImageDimension())
     itkExceptionMacro( << "image has dimension " << input->GetDimension() << " instead of " << TOutputImage::GetImageDimension() );
   
   
   if(!(input->GetPixelType() == typeid(PixelType)))
     itkExceptionMacro( << "image has wrong pixel type " );
   
   // Process object is not const-correct so the const_cast is required here
   itk::ProcessObject::SetNthInput(0, 
     const_cast< mitk::Image * >( input ) );
 }
 
 template<class TOutputImage>
 void mitk::ImageToItk<TOutputImage>::SetInput( unsigned int index, const mitk::Image * input ) 
 {
   if( index+1 > this->GetNumberOfInputs() )
   {
     this->SetNumberOfRequiredInputs( index + 1 );
   }
 
   if(input == NULL)
     itkExceptionMacro( << "image is null" );
   if(input->GetDimension()!=TOutputImage::GetImageDimension())
     itkExceptionMacro( << "image has dimension " << input->GetDimension() << " instead of " << TOutputImage::GetImageDimension() );
   
   
   if(!(input->GetPixelType() == typeid(PixelType)))
     itkExceptionMacro( << "image has wrong pixel type " );
 
   // Process object is not const-correct so the const_cast is required here
   itk::ProcessObject::SetNthInput(index, 
     const_cast< mitk::Image *>( input ) );
 }
 
 template<class TOutputImage>
 const mitk::Image *mitk::ImageToItk<TOutputImage>::GetInput(void) 
 {
   if (this->GetNumberOfInputs() < 1)
   {
     return 0;
   }
 
   return static_cast< const mitk::Image * >
     (itk::ProcessObject::GetInput(0) );
 }
 
 template<class TOutputImage>
 const mitk::Image *mitk::ImageToItk<TOutputImage>::GetInput(unsigned int idx)
 {
   return static_cast< mitk::Image * >
     (itk::ProcessObject::GetInput(idx));
 }
 
 template<class TOutputImage>
   void mitk::ImageToItk<TOutputImage>
   ::GenerateData()
 {
   // Allocate output
   mitk::Image::ConstPointer input = this->GetInput();
   typename Superclass::OutputImageType::Pointer output = this->GetOutput();
   
   
   unsigned long noBytes = input->GetDimension(0);
   for (unsigned int i=1; i<TOutputImage::GetImageDimension(); ++i)
   {
     noBytes = noBytes * input->GetDimension(i);
   }
   
   // hier wird momentan wohl nur der erste Channel verwendet??!!
   m_ImageDataItem = const_cast<mitk::Image*>(input.GetPointer())->GetChannelData( m_Channel );
   if(m_ImageDataItem.GetPointer() == NULL)
   {
     itkWarningMacro(<< "no image data to import in ITK image");
 
     RegionType bufferedRegion;
     output->SetBufferedRegion(bufferedRegion);
     return;
   }
   
   if (m_CopyMemFlag)
   {
     itkDebugMacro("copyMem ...");
 
     output->Allocate();
     
     memcpy( (PixelType *) output->GetBufferPointer(), m_ImageDataItem->GetData(), sizeof(PixelType)*noBytes);
     
   }
   else
   {
     itkDebugMacro("do not copyMem ...");
     typedef itk::ImportMitkImageContainer< unsigned long, PixelType >   ImportContainerType;
     typename ImportContainerType::Pointer import;
 
     import = ImportContainerType::New();
     import->Initialize();
 
     itkDebugMacro( << "size of container = " << import->Size() );
     import->SetImageDataItem(m_ImageDataItem);
 
     output->SetPixelContainer(import);
     itkDebugMacro( << "size of container = " << import->Size() );
   }
 }
 
 template<class TOutputImage>
   void mitk::ImageToItk<TOutputImage>
   ::UpdateOutputInformation()
 {
   mitk::Image::ConstPointer input = this->GetInput();
   if(input.IsNotNull() && (input->GetSource()!=NULL) && input->GetSource()->Updating())
   {
     typename Superclass::OutputImageType::Pointer output = this->GetOutput();
     unsigned long t1 = input->GetUpdateMTime()+1;
     if (t1 > this->m_OutputInformationMTime.GetMTime())
     {
       output->SetPipelineMTime(t1);
 
       this->GenerateOutputInformation();
 
       this->m_OutputInformationMTime.Modified();
     }
     return;
   }
   Superclass::UpdateOutputInformation();
 }
 
 template<class TOutputImage>
   void mitk::ImageToItk<TOutputImage>
   ::GenerateOutputInformation()
 {
   mitk::Image::ConstPointer input = this->GetInput();
   typename Superclass::OutputImageType::Pointer output = this->GetOutput();
 
   // allocate size, origin, spacing, direction in types of output image
   SizeType  size;
   const unsigned int itkDimMin3 = (TOutputImage::ImageDimension > 3 ? TOutputImage::ImageDimension : 3);
   const unsigned int itkDimMax3 = (TOutputImage::ImageDimension < 3 ? TOutputImage::ImageDimension : 3);
   typename Superclass::OutputImageType::PointType::ValueType origin[ itkDimMin3 ];   
   typename Superclass::OutputImageType::SpacingType::ComponentType spacing[ itkDimMin3 ];
   typename Superclass::OutputImageType::DirectionType direction;
 
   // copy as much information as possible into size and spacing
   unsigned int i;
   for ( i=0; i < itkDimMax3; ++i)
-  {
-    size[i]    = input->GetDimension(i);
-    spacing[i] = input->GetGeometry()->GetSpacing()[i];
+  {             
+     size[i]    = input->GetDimension(i);
+     spacing[i] = input->GetGeometry()->GetSpacing()[i];
   }
   for ( ; i < TOutputImage::ImageDimension; ++i)
   {
-    origin[i]  = 0.0;
-    size[i]    = input->GetDimension(i);
-    spacing[i] = 1.0;
+     origin[i]  = 0.0;
+     size[i]    = input->GetDimension(i);
+     spacing[i] = 1.0;
   }
 
   // build region from size  
   IndexType start;
   start.Fill( 0 );
   RegionType region;
   region.SetIndex( start );
   region.SetSize(  size  );
   
   // copy as much information as possible into origin
   const mitk::Point3D& mitkorigin = input->GetGeometry()->GetOrigin();
   itk2vtk(mitkorigin, origin);
   
   // copy as much information as possible into direction
   direction.SetIdentity();
   unsigned int j;
   const AffineTransform3D::MatrixType& matrix = input->GetGeometry()->GetIndexToWorldTransform()->GetMatrix();
-  
-  /// \warning 2D MITK images will get a 2D identity matrix in ITK
-  /// \todo Get clear about how to handle directed ITK 2D images in ITK
-  
+
+  /// \warning 2D MITK images could have a 3D rotation, since they have a 3x3 geometry matrix. 
+  /// If it is only a rotation around the transversal plane normal, it can be express with a 2x2 matrix. 
+  /// In this case, the ITK image conservs this information and is identical to the MITK image!
+  /// If the MITK image contains any other rotation, the ITK image will have no rotation at all.
+  /// Spacing is of course conserved in both cases.
+
+   
   // the following loop devides by spacing now to normalize columns.
   // counterpart of InitializeByItk in mitkImage.h line 372 of revision 15092. 
-  if ( itkDimMax3 >= 3)
+
+  // Check if information is lost
+  if (  TOutputImage::ImageDimension <= 2)
   {
-    for ( i=0; i < itkDimMax3; ++i)
-      for( j=0; j < itkDimMax3; ++j )
-        direction[i][j] = matrix[i][j]/spacing[j];
-  }
+     if ( TOutputImage::ImageDimension == 2 &&
+        ( matrix[0][2] != 0) ||
+        ( matrix[1][2] != 0) ||
+        ( matrix[2][0] != 0) ||
+        ( matrix[2][1] != 0) ||
+        ( matrix[2][2] != 1) &&  ( matrix[2][2] != -1) )
+     {
+        // The 2D MITK image contains 3D rotation information.
+        // This cannot be expressed in a 2D ITK image, so the ITK image will have no rotation
 
+     }
+     else
+     {
+        // The 2D MITK image can be converted to an 2D ITK image without information loss!     
+        for ( i=0; i < itkDimMax3; ++i)
+           for( j=0; j < itkDimMax3; ++j )
+              direction[i][j] = matrix[i][j]/spacing[j];
+     }
+  }
+  else
+  {
+     // Normal 3D image. Conversion possible without problem!
+     for ( i=0; i < itkDimMax3; ++i)
+        for( j=0; j < itkDimMax3; ++j )
+           direction[i][j] = matrix[i][j]/spacing[j];
+  }
+  
   // set information into output image
   output->SetRegions( region );
   output->SetOrigin( origin );
   output->SetSpacing( spacing );
   output->SetDirection( direction );
 }
 
 template<class TOutputImage>
   void
   mitk::ImageToItk<TOutputImage>
   ::PrintSelf(std::ostream& os, itk::Indent indent) const
 {
   Superclass::PrintSelf(os,indent);
 }
 
 #endif //IMAGETOITK_TXX_INCLUDED_C1C2FCD2