Subject-specific four-dimensional liver motion modeling based on registration of dynamic MRI

Magnetic resonance-guided high intensity focused ultrasound treatment of the liver is a promising noninvasive technique for ablation of liver lesions. For the technique to be used in clinical practice, however, the issue of liver motion needs to be addressed. A subject-specific four-dimensional liver motion model is presented that is created based on registration of dynamically acquired magnetic resonance data. This model can be used for predicting the tumor motion trajectory for treatment planning and to indicate the tumor position for treatment guidance. The performance of the model was evaluated on a dynamic scan series that was not used to build the model. The method achieved an average Dice coefficient of 0.93 between the predicted and actual liver profiles and an average vessel misalignment of 3.0 mm. The model performed robustly, with a small variation in the results per subject. The results demonstrate the potential of the model to be used for MRI-guided treatment of liver lesions. Furthermore, the model can possibly be applied in other image-guided therapies, for instance radiotherapy of the liver.