Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 3
Three-Dimensional Rigid and Non-Rigid Image
Registration for the Pelvis and Prostate
Baowei Fei,
1
Jasjit Suri,
1
and David L Wilson
1
,
2
3.1
Introduction
Several important applications require registration of images of the pelvis and
prostate [1, 2]. First, comparison of registered MR images acquired before and
immediately after therapies can be used to determine whether a tumor is ade-
quately treated. This is particularly helpful in instances where the edematous
response to treatment can be confused with a highly perfused tumor. Second,
registration of serial examinations can be used to follow regression/progression
of tumor. Third, registration of functional, biochemical images such as single
photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomog-
raphy (PET), and MR spectroscopy with anatomical MR images is useful for
detecting and localizing cancer. Fourth, incorporating the functional, biochemi-
cal images into the interventional magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) paradigm
will aid image-guided treatments. Fifth, on a low-field magnet system during
iMRI treatments where fast imaging is important, it might be highly desirable to
register high quality MR image from a conventional MR scanner to the live-time
iMRI images [3, 5].
There are challenges for registration in the pelvis and prostate that might
reduce the effectiveness of automatic voxel-based registration. First, the
