Non-rigid 2D-3D registration with catheter tip EM tracking for patient specific bronchoscope simulation.

This paper investigates the use of Active Shape Models (ASM) to capture the variability of the intra-thoracic airway tree. The method significantly reduces the dimensionality of the non-rigid 2D/3D registration problem and leads to a rapid and robust registration framework. In this study, EM tracking data has been also incorporated through a probabilistic framework for providing a statistically optimal pose given both the EM and the image-based registration measurements. Comprehensive phantom experiments have been conducted to assess the key numerical factors involved in using catheter tip EM tracking for deformable 2D/3D registration.