Model-based 3D/2D deformable registration of MR images.

A method is proposed for automatic registration of 3D preoperative magnetic resonance images of deformable tissue to a sequence of its 2D intraoperative images. The algorithm employs a dynamic continuum mechanics model of the deformation and similarity (distance) measures such as correlation ratio, mutual information or sum of squared differences for registration. The registration is solely based on information present in the 3D preoperative and 2D intraoperative images and does not require fiducial markers, feature extraction or image segmentation. Results of experiments with a biopsy training breast phantom show that the proposed method can perform well in the presence of large deformations. This is particularly useful for clinical applications such as MR-based breast biopsy where large tissue deformations occur.