Method of registering pre-operative high field closed magnetic resonance images with intra-operative low field open interventional magnetic resonance images

• US 20050245810A1
• Filed: 04/28/2004
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Corp. (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Corporate Research Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Sauer, Frank, Khamene, Ali
• Granted Patent: US 7,711,405 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/410
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56 Image enhancement or correction, e.g. subtraction or averaging techniques , e.g. improvement of signal-to-noise ratio and resolution
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/5608 Data processing and visualization specially adapted for MR, e.g. for feature analysis and pattern recognition on the basis of measured MR data, segmentation of measured MR data, edge contour detection on the basis of measured MR data, for enhancing measured MR data in terms of signal-to-noise ratio by means of noise filtering or apodization, for enhancing measured MR data in terms of resolution by means for deblurring, windowing, zero filling, or generation of gray-scaled images, colour-coded images or images displaying vectors instead of pixels image data processing or generation, in general G06T

Abstract

A system and method for registering pre-operative magnetic resonance (MR) images with intra-operative MR images is disclosed. A pre-operative MR image of an object is received. A set of intra-operative MR images of the object is received. The pre-operative MR image is rigidly registered with the initial intra-operative MR image. The subsequent set of intra-operative images is deformably registered. The pre-operative MR image undergoes both rigid and deformation transformation to match specification of each image with in intra-operative MR image set.

Claims

1. A method for registering pre-operative magnetic resonance (MR) images with intra-operative MR images comprising the steps of:

receiving a pre-operative MR image of an object;

obtaining an intra-operative MR image of the object;

rigidly registering the pre-operative MR image with the intra-operative MR image; and

using deformable registration techniques to align subsequent intra-operative MR images and eventually warp the pre-operative MR image using the rigid transformation and the incremental deformation field to match to the most recent state of anatomy as presented by the most recent intra-operative MR image.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the pre-operative MR image is scanned by a closed MRI system.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the intra-operative MR image is scanned by an open MRI system.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the registration of subsequent the intra-operative MR images is performed using non-rigid registration techniques.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the non-rigid registration of the subsequent MR images reconciles deformations of the object.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the deformations are caused by brain shift.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the deformations are caused by a patient'"'"'s breathing.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the deformations are caused by insertion of a needle into the object.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein voxels of the intra-operative images, which are subject to deformable registration process, are substantially radiometrically identical.

19. The method of claim 4 wherein pixels of the intra-operative images, which are subject to deformable registration process, are substantially radiometrically identical.

10. A system for registering pre-operative magnetic resonance (MR) images with intra-operative MR images comprising:

a low resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system;

a processor for receiving pre-operative images generated by a high resolution MRI system and intra-operative images generated by the low resolution MRI system, the registering the pre-operative and intra-operative images;

a database for storing the pre-operative, intra-operative and registered images; and

a display for displaying the images.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the low resolution MRI system is an open MRI system.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the high resolution MRI system is a closed MRI system.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the pre-operative images are rigidly registered with an initial image generated by the low resolution MRI system.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein subsequent images generated by the low resolution MRI system are non-rigidly registered with the initial imhages from low resolution MRI.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the non-rigid registration of the subsequent MR images reconciles deformations of the object.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the deformations are caused by brain shift.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the deformations are caused by a patient'"'"'s breathing.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the deformations are caused by insertion of a needle into the object.