diff --git a/monai/data/readers/niftireader.py b/monai/data/readers/niftireader.py
index 6dafd9e52f..1898411694 100644
--- a/monai/data/readers/niftireader.py
+++ b/monai/data/readers/niftireader.py
@@ -32,25 +32,32 @@ def load_nifti(filename_or_obj, as_closest_canonical=False, image_only=True, dty
     Returns:
         The loaded image volume if `image_only` is True, or a tuple containing the volume and the Nifti
         header in dict format otherwise
+
+    Note:
+        header['original_affine'] stores the original affine loaded from `filename_or_obj`.
+        header['affine'] stores the affine after the optional `as_closest_canonical` transform.
     """
 
     img = nib.load(filename_or_obj)
 
+    header = dict(img.header)
+    header['filename_or_obj'] = filename_or_obj
+    header['original_affine'] = img.affine
+    header['affine'] = img.affine
+    header['as_closest_canonical'] = as_closest_canonical
+
     if as_closest_canonical:
         img = nib.as_closest_canonical(img)
+        header['affine'] = img.affine
 
     if dtype is not None:
         dat = img.get_fdata(dtype=dtype)
     else:
         dat = np.asanyarray(img.dataobj)
 
-    header = dict(img.header)
-    header['filename_or_obj'] = filename_or_obj
-
     if image_only:
         return dat
-    else:
-        return dat, header
+    return dat, header
 
 
 @export("monai.data.readers")
@@ -77,7 +84,7 @@ def __init__(self, image_files, seg_files, transform=None, seg_transform=None, i
 
         self.image_files = image_files
         self.seg_files = seg_files
-        self.transform = transform 
+        self.transform = transform
         self.seg_transform = seg_transform
         self.image_only = image_only
 
diff --git a/monai/data/writers/niftiwriter.py b/monai/data/writers/niftiwriter.py
index 6a97b42c46..44e454d91a 100644
--- a/monai/data/writers/niftiwriter.py
+++ b/monai/data/writers/niftiwriter.py
@@ -13,26 +13,29 @@
 import nibabel as nib
 
 
-def write_nifti(data, affine, file_name, revert_canonical, dtype="float32"):
+def write_nifti(data, affine, file_name, target_affine=None, dtype="float32"):
     """Write numpy data into nifti files to disk.
 
     Args:
         data (numpy.ndarray): input data to write to file.
         affine (numpy.ndarray): affine information for the data.
         file_name (string): expected file name that saved on disk.
-        revert_canonical (bool): whether to revert canonical.
+        target_affine (numpy.ndarray, optional):
+            before saving the (data, affine), transform the data into the orientation defined by `target_affine`.
         dtype (np.dtype, optional): convert the image to save to this data type.
-
     """
     assert isinstance(data, np.ndarray), 'input data must be numpy array.'
     if affine is None:
         affine = np.eye(4)
 
-    if revert_canonical:
-        codes = nib.orientations.axcodes2ornt(nib.orientations.aff2axcodes(np.linalg.inv(affine)))
-        reverted_results = nib.orientations.apply_orientation(np.squeeze(data), codes)
-        results_img = nib.Nifti1Image(reverted_results.astype(dtype), affine)
+    if target_affine is None:
+        results_img = nib.Nifti1Image(data.astype(dtype), affine)
     else:
-        results_img = nib.Nifti1Image(np.squeeze(data).astype(dtype), np.squeeze(affine))
+        start_ornt = nib.orientations.io_orientation(affine)
+        target_ornt = nib.orientations.io_orientation(target_affine)
+        ornt_transform = nib.orientations.ornt_transform(start_ornt, target_ornt)
+
+        reverted_results = nib.orientations.apply_orientation(data, ornt_transform)
+        results_img = nib.Nifti1Image(reverted_results.astype(dtype), target_affine)
 
     nib.save(results_img, file_name)
diff --git a/tests/test_nifti_rw.py b/tests/test_nifti_rw.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..40ecb1fba7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_nifti_rw.py
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+# Copyright 2020 MONAI Consortium
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+import os
+import unittest
+
+import nibabel as nib
+import numpy as np
+from parameterized import parameterized
+
+from monai.data.readers.niftireader import load_nifti
+from monai.data.writers.niftiwriter import write_nifti
+
+from .utils import make_nifti_image
+
+TEST_IMAGE = np.zeros((1, 2, 3))
+TEST_AFFINE = np.array([[-5.3, 0., 0., 102.01], [0., 0.52, 2.17, -7.50], [-0., 1.98, -0.26, -23.12], [0., 0., 0., 1.]])
+
+TEST_CASE_1 = [TEST_IMAGE, TEST_AFFINE, (1, 2, 3), dict(as_closest_canonical=True, image_only=False)]
+TEST_CASE_2 = [TEST_IMAGE, TEST_AFFINE, (1, 3, 2), dict(as_closest_canonical=True, image_only=True)]
+TEST_CASE_3 = [TEST_IMAGE, TEST_AFFINE, (1, 2, 3), dict(as_closest_canonical=False, image_only=True)]
+TEST_CASE_4 = [TEST_IMAGE, TEST_AFFINE, (1, 2, 3), dict(as_closest_canonical=False, image_only=False)]
+
+
+class TestNiftiLoadRead(unittest.TestCase):
+
+    @parameterized.expand([TEST_CASE_1, TEST_CASE_2, TEST_CASE_3, TEST_CASE_4])
+    def test_orientation(self, array, affine, expected_shape, reader_param):
+        test_image = make_nifti_image(array, affine)
+
+        # read test cases
+        load_result = load_nifti(test_image, **reader_param)
+        if isinstance(load_result, tuple):
+            data_array, header = load_result
+        else:
+            data_array = load_result
+            header = None
+        if os.path.exists(test_image):
+            os.remove(test_image)
+
+        # write test cases
+        if header is not None:
+            write_nifti(data_array, header['affine'], test_image, header['original_affine'])
+        else:
+            write_nifti(data_array, affine, test_image)
+        saved = nib.load(test_image)
+        saved_affine = saved.affine
+        saved_shape = saved.get_fdata().shape
+        if os.path.exists(test_image):
+            os.remove(test_image)
+
+        self.assertTrue(np.allclose(saved_affine, affine))
+        self.assertTrue(np.allclose(saved_shape, expected_shape))
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    unittest.main()
diff --git a/tests/utils.py b/tests/utils.py
index c2b6de1580..e356b8b7b3 100644
--- a/tests/utils.py
+++ b/tests/utils.py
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@
 
 import os
 import unittest
+import tempfile
+import nibabel as nib
 
 import numpy as np
 import torch
@@ -26,6 +28,18 @@ def skip_if_quick(obj):
     return unittest.skipIf(is_quick, "Skipping slow tests")(obj)
 
 
+def make_nifti_image(array, affine):
+    """
+    Create a temporary nifti image on the disk and return the image name.
+    User is responsible for deleting the temporary file when done with it.
+    """
+    test_image = nib.Nifti1Image(array, affine)
+
+    _, image_name = tempfile.mkstemp(suffix='.nii.gz')
+    nib.save(test_image, image_name)
+    return image_name
+
+
 class NumpyImageTestCase2D(unittest.TestCase):
     im_shape = (128, 128)
     input_channels = 1