A Review on Registration Techniques for Cardiac Computed Tomography and Ultrasound Images

With the rapid development of medical imaging technology, the early diagnosis and treatment of heart disease have been significantly improved. Cardiac CT (Computed Tomography) and ultrasound images are often used in combination to provide more comprehensive information on cardiac structure and function due to their respective advantages and limitations. However, due to the significant differences in imaging principles, resolutions, and viewing angles between these two imaging modalities, how to effectively register cardiac CT and ultrasound images has become an important research topic in imaging and clinical applications. This article summarizes the research progress of cardiac CT and ultrasound image registration, and analyzes the existing registration methods and their advantages and disadvantages. Firstly, this article summarizes traditional registration methods based on image intensity, feature points, and regions, and explores the application of rigid and non-rigid registration algorithms. Secondly, in view of common challenges in cardiac CT and ultrasound image registration, such as image noise, deformation, and differences in imaging time, this article discusses the recent advances in multimodal registration technology in cardiac imaging and forecasts the potential of deep learning methods in registration. In addition, this article also evaluates the application effects and limitations of these methods in clinical practice, and finally looks forward to the future development direction of cardiac image registration technology, especially its potential applications in personalized medicine and real-time monitoring. Through a comprehensive review of the current research status of cardiac CT and ultrasound image registration, this article provides a systematic theoretical framework for researchers in related fields and provides a reference for future technological breakthroughs and clinical translation.