Segmented Deformable Registration for Improved Modeling of the Lungs

To report a segmented image registration strategy with explicit inclusion of the differential motions of thoracic structures. The proposed technique started with autoidentification of a number of corresponding points. A thinplate spline (TPS) method was used to register a structure characterized by the control points with a given “color”. A comparison with the conventional TPS method showed that the registration accuracy was markedly improved when the differential motions of the lung and chest wall were taken into account. The segmented deformable approach provides a natural and logical solution to model the discontinuous organ motions and greatly improves the accuracy and robustness of deformable registration.