Rigid and non-rigid medical image registration methods

Abstract

Image registration is an important and usually necessary step in multi-dimensional multi-modality medical image analysis. Moreover, images from the same modality may be registered to study and analyse variability of a specific structure or information among a group of subjects to develop physiological models and computerised atlases. Multi-dimensional image registration is also an important step in therapeutic protocols including radiation treatment and evaluation. Recent advances in medical imaging and image analysis have accompanied with a number of rigid-body and non-rigidbody image registration methods and algorithms. This paper first briefly reviews some of the rigid and non-rigid image registration methods and then presents an integrated approach of rigid and elastic deformation methods suitable for dealing with registration of partially deformed and incomplete image datasets.