Accurate Image Registration for Quadrature Tomographic Microscopy

Abstract

Abstract. This paper presents a robust and fully automated registration algorithm for registration of images of Quadrature Tomographic Microscopy (QTM), which is an optical interferometer. The need for registration of such images is to recognize distinguishing features of viable embryos to advance the technique for In Vitro Fertilization. QTM images a sample (live embryo) multiple times with different hardware configurations, each in turn producing 4 images taken by 4 CCD cameras simultaneously. Embryo movement is often present between imaging. Our algorithm handles camera calibration 1 of multiple cameras using a variant of ICP, and elimination of embryo movement using a hybrid of feature-and intensity-based methods. The algorithm is tested on 20 live mouse embryos containing various cell numbers between 8 and 26. No failure thus far, and the average alignment error is 0.09 pixels, corresponding to the range of 639 and 675 nanometers.

Alignment with sub‐pixel accuracy for images of multi‐modality microscopes using automatic calibration

“…After global alignment is performed, a more expensive registration algorithm can be adapted to exploit the imaging properties of live samples and compensate for movement. We have applied such a technique to register OQM images of live mouse embryos with satisfactory results (Tsai et al, 2005).…”

“…The analysis of this proposed technique has been demonstrated with the Keck 3D Fusion Microscope (Warger et al, 2007), but the methodology was designed for any multi-modal microscope that combines a number of imaging modalities on a common platform. This method registers images of stationary samples, where the spatial relationship of multi-modal images can be determined through calibration of the imaging units, and provides the starting point for image registration of dynamic samples using more computationally expensive algorithms to eliminate the remaining alignment error caused by sample movement (Tsai et al, 2005).…”