Reducing motion artifacts in 3-D breast ultrasound using non-linear registration.

Automated full-field 3-D breast ultrasound (3DBUS) has a high potential as a reproducible method for screening and intervention. Consecutive linear transducer scans yield a consistent breast ultrasound volume, yet individual slices are prone to tissue deformation and motion. To compensate resulting image distortions, we propose an efficient non-rigid registration method applied sequentially to pairs of 3DBUS volume slices, optionally either on-line or in post-processing. A quantitative evaluation of the method on synthetic deformations shows subvoxel registration accuracy. First application to clinical breast US images and preliminary results confirmed effectiveness and accuracy of the method.