title: Evaluation of different marker sets for motion artifact reduction in breast dynamic infrared imaging.
abstract: Dynamic infrared imaging is a promising technique to be applied to early breast cancer diagnosis. It is based on the acquisition of hundreds of consecutive thermal images with a frame rate ranging from 50 to 200 frames/s, followed by the spectral analysis of temperature time series at each image pixel. To improve the time series signal-to-noise ratio, it is useful to realign the thermal images of the acquisition sequence. Our previous studies demonstrated that a registration algorithm based on fiducial points is suitable to both clinical applications and research, when associated with a proper set of skin markers. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of different marker sets by means of a model that allows estimating the signal-to-noise ratio increment due to registration, and we conclude that a 9-marker set is a good compromise between motion artifact reduction and the time required to prepare the patient.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Elettronica, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy. valentina.agostini@delen.polito.it
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Agostini
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Knaflitz
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Molinari
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D016477:Artifacts; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D007259:Infrared Rays; D009068:Movement; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013382:Subtraction Technique / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013817:Thermography / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods