Dynamic 3D ultrasound and MR image registration of the beating heart

Real-time three-dimensional ultrasound (RT3D US) is an ideal imaging modality for the diagnosis of cardiac disease. RT3D US is a flexible, inexpensive, non-invasive tool that provides important diagnostic information related to cardiac function. Unfortunately, RT3D US suffers from inherent shortcomings, such as low signal-to-noise ratio and limited field of view, producing images that are difficult to interpret. Multi-modal dynamic cardiac image registration is a well-recognized approach that compensates for these deficiencies while retaining the advantages of RT3D US imaging. The clinical application of multi-modal image registration methods is difficult, and there are a number of implementation issues to be resolved. In this work, we present a method for the rapid registration of RT3D US images of the beating heart to high-resolution magnetic resonance (MR) images. This method was validated using a volunteer image set. Validation results demonstrate that this approach can achieve rapid registration of images of the beating heart with fiducial landmark and registration errors of 1.25 +/- 0.63 and 1.76 mm respectively. This technique can potentially be used to improve the diagnosis of cardiac disease by augmenting RT3D US images with high-resolution MR images and to facilitate intra-operative image fusion for minimally invasive cardio-thoracic surgical navigation.