Nonrigid Image Registration with Subdivision Lattices: Application to Cardiac MR Image Analysis

Abstract

Abstract. In this paper we present a new methodology for cardiac motion tracking in tagged MRI using nonrigid image registration based on subdivision surfaces and subdivision lattices. We use two sets of registrations to do the motion tracking. First, a set of surface registrations is used to create and initially align the subdivision model of the left ventricle with short-axis and long-axis MR images. Second, a series of volumetric registrations are used to perform the motion tracking and to reconstruct the 4D cardiac motion field from the tagged MR images. The motion of a point in the myocardium over time is calculated by registering the images taken during systole to the set of reference images taken at end-diastole. Registration is achieved by optimizing the positions of the vertices in the base lattice so that the mutual information of the images being registered is maximized. The presented method is validated using a cardiac motion simulator and we also present strain measurements obtained from a group of normal volunteers.

Image guidance for robotic minimally invasive coronary artery bypass

“…Segmentation was done manually in this paper, but additionally we are investigating the use of a 4D statistical model to produce a segmentation [30] and also the use of a subdivision surface representation of the heart with volume preservation to track the motion of the myocardium [31].…”

A three-dimensional finite element model of human atrial anatomy: New methods for cubic Hermite meshes with extraordinary vertices

“…Subdivision surfaces have been useful in cardiac modeling for purposes aside from computing cubic Hermite derivatives. Chandrashekara and colleagues (2007) use subdivision surfaces to track cardiac deformation in tagged MRI, using the coarseness of the subdivision surface template to decrease computational burden. Sheehan and colleagues (2008) use subdivision surfaces to analyze right ventricular shape and volume in patients with tetralogy of Fallot, and in so doing are able to include the two right ventricular valve annuli in their geometric models.…”

Physical Models for Simulation and Reconstruction of Human Tissue Deformation Fields in Dynamic MRI

“…The gridding pattern was created in order to simulate optimal registration performance with maximally structural information present. Additionally, the gridding pattern has a visual similarity to patterns created by real MR tagging sequences [24]- [26]. To create the gridding pattern, a rectangular square pattern with a spacing of 0.05 m and intensity value 0.95 min x f ( x, T 0 ) was imposed on f ( x, t).…”

“…Another option to possibly improve the registration quality is to use MR sequences maximizing the image contrast, leading to a stronger registration force as the data term is depending on contrast and image features. Artificially imposing contrast is thus possible via an MR sequence allowing for magnetic tagging [24]- [26]. In this technique, magnetic tags are imposed within the tissue from locally induced perturbations of the magnetization.…”