Automated image registration of gated cardiac single-photon emission computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.
OBJECTIVE
To develop an automatic registration method for electrocardiogram-gated myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and cardiac cine-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).


METHODS
Paired myocardial perfusion SPECT (MPS) and MRI from 20 patients were considered. MR images were presegmented by heart localization based on detection of cardiac motion and optimal thresholding. A registration algorithm based on mutual information was subsequently applied to all time frames or a selected subset from both modalities.


RESULTS
A preprocessing step significantly improved the accuracy of the registration when compared to automatic registration performed without preprocessing. Errors in translation parameters (T(x), T(y), T(z)) averaged (1.0 +/- 1.5, 1.1 +/- 1.3, 0.9 +/- 0.9) pixels with MRI segmentation and (4.6 +/- 3.2, 3.4 +/- 2.6, 3.0 +/- 3.4) pixels without MRI segmentation. Errors in rotation parameters (R(x), R(y), R(z)) averaged (5.4 +/- 2.9, 3.4 +/- 2.7, 4.5 +/- 3.6) degrees with MRI segmentation and (9.3 +/- 6.1, 4.8 +/- 4.3, 14.6 +/- 12.6) degrees without MRI segmentation. Error was calculated as the absolute difference between the expert manual and the automatic registration transformation.


CONCLUSIONS
Automatic registration of gated MPS and cine MRI is possible with the use of a mutual information-based technique when MR images are presegmented. Cardiac motion can be used to isolate the left ventricle (LV) on the MR images automatically, and subsequently the segmented MR images can be coregistered with gated MPS.
Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
Usaf E
UE
Aladl
Gilbert A
GA
Hurwitz
Damini
D
Dey
David
D
Levin
Maria
M
Drangova
Piotr J
PJ
Slomka
D000465:Algorithms; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D019028:Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine / Q000379:methods*; D011859:Radiography; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods*; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology