Model-Based Deformable Registration of Preoperative 3D to Intraoperative Low-Resolution 3D and 2D Sequences of MR Images

We have developed an automatic model-based deformable registration method applicable to MR soft-tissue imaging. The registration algorithm uses a dynamic finite element (FE) continuum mechanics model of the tissue deformation to register its 3D preoperative images with intraoperative 1) 3D low-resolution or 2) 2D MR images. The registration is achieved through a filtering process that combines information from the deformation model and observation errors based on correlation ratio, mutual information or sum of square differences between images. Experimental results with a breast phantom show that the proposed method converges in few iterations in the presence of very large deformations, similar to those typically observed in breast biopsy applications.