Fully automatic 3D feature-based registration of multi-modality medical images

In this paper, we present an automated multi-modality registration algorithm based an hierarchical feature extraction. The approach, which has not been used previously, can be divided into two distinct stages: feature extraction (edge detection, surface extraction), and geometric matching. Two kinds of corresponding features - edge and surface - are extracted hierarchically from various image modalities. The registration then is performed using least-squares matching of the automatically extracted features. Both the robustness and accuracy of feature extraction and geometric matching steps are evaluated using simulated and patient images. The preliminary results show the error is on the average of one voxel. We have shown the proposed 3D registration algorithm provides a simple and fast method for automatic registering of MR-to-CT and MR-to-PET image modalities. Our results are comparable to other techniques and require no user interaction. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.