title: A versatile functional-anatomic image fusion method for volume data sets.
abstract: We describe and validate a volumetric three-dimensional registration method, and compare it to our previously validated two-dimensional/three-dimensional method. CT/MRI and SPECT data from 14 patients were interactively fused using a polynomial warping technique. Registration accuracy was confirmed visually and by a nonsignificant F value from multivariate analysis of the transformed landmarks, a significant difference of the squared sum of intensity differences between the transformed/untransformed and the reference volume both at the 0.05 (p > 0.05) confidence level and an average 31% improvement of the correlation coefficient and cross correlation. For the two-dimensional/three-dimensional method, ROI center-to-center distance ranged from 1.42 to 11.32 mm (for liver) with an average of 6.13 mm +/- 3.09 mm. The average ROI overlap was 92.51% with a 95% confidence interval of 90.20-96.88%. The new method is superior because it operates on the true three-dimensional volume. Both methods give good registration results, take 10 to 30 min, and require anatomic knowledge.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York 10016, USA.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Noz
authors.forename: G Q
authors.initials: GQ
authors.lastname: Maguire
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Zeleznik
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mahmoud
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Crafoord
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011860:Radiography, Abdominal / Q000379:methods; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic / Q000379:methods; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*