Alignment of CT lung volumes with an optical flow method.
OBJECTIVE
This study was performed to evaluate an optical flow method for registering serial computed tomographic (CT) images of lung volumes to assist physicians in visualizing and assessing changes between CT scans.


METHODS
The optical flow method is a coarse-to-fine model-based motion estimation technique for estimating first a global parametric transformation and then local deformations. Five serial pairs of CT images of lung volumes that were misaligned because of patient positioning, respiration, and/or different fields of view were used to test the method.


RESULTS
Lung volumes depicted on the serial paired images initially were correlated at only 28%-68% because of misalignment. With use of the optical flow method, the serial images were aligned to at least 95% correlation.


CONCLUSIONS
The optical flow method enables a direct comparison of serial CT images of lung volumes for the assessment of nodules or functional changes in the lung.
Dougherty
Lawrence
L
Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 1 Silverstein, 3400 Spruce St, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Asmuth
Jane C
JC
Gefter
Warren B
WB
D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008176:Lung Volume Measurements; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D011873:Radiology Information Systems; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed