Image registration: an essential tool for nuclear medicine.
There is increasing interest in being able to automatically register medical images from either the same or different modalities. Registered images are proving useful in a range of applications, not only providing more correlative information to aid in diagnosis, but also assisting with the planning and monitoring of therapy, both surgery and radiotherapy. The practising nuclear medicine specialist is faced with a dilemma in choosing an appropriate method since the literature in the field is extensive, with conflicting evidence as to what methods are optimal. Although most barriers to implementing registration in routine practice have been removed, there remains a lack of commercial, validated software. The alternative is to install a dual-modality instrument. The objective of this review is to present a general overview of medical image registration with emphasis on the application and issues relevant to nuclear medicine.
Hutton
Brian F
BF
Department of Nuclear Medicine and Ultrasound, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, Australia. nbh@imag.wsahs.nsw.gov.au
Braun
Michael
M
Thurfjell
Lennart
L
Lau
Dennys Y H
DY
D000465:Algorithms; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D003626:Data Display; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009683:Nuclear Medicine / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated; D011786:Quality Control; D011873:Radiology Information Systems; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D012042:Registries; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012986:Software Validation; D013269:Stochastic Processes; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed / Q000379:methods; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods