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Automatic Skull-Template Alignment Without a Guidance Image
Oscar Bates1, Carlos Cueto1, Ciaran Coleman2
1Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK; Sonalis Imaging Limited, London, UK.
Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology
|June 6, 2026
Summary
Manifold optimization for full-waveform inversion (MOFI) enables accurate skull template registration for transcranial ultrasound without MRI. This method reduces barriers to clinical adoption of ultrasound imaging and therapy.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Acoustic Physics
- Computational Anatomy
Background:
- Transcranial ultrasound applications are limited by the skull's acoustic distortions.
- Accurate skull templates and spatial alignment are crucial for high-fidelity ultrasound simulations.
- Current MRI-guided registration methods present significant financial and logistical challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel method for registering skull templates without requiring a guidance image.
- To overcome the limitations of MRI-guided registration in transcranial ultrasound applications.
Main Methods:
- Manifold optimization for full-waveform inversion (MOFI) was developed.
- MOFI aligns skull templates by minimizing the difference between simulated and observed radiofrequency acoustic data.
- No concurrent imaging like MRI is needed for registration.
Main Results:
- MOFI accurately recovers skull template positions in both in silico and in vitro settings.
- The method provides a viable alternative to MRI-guided registration.
- Successful registration was achieved without the need for a guidance image.
Conclusions:
- MOFI offers a practical, MRI-free approach for transcranial ultrasound registration.
- This technique has the potential to reduce barriers to clinical adoption.
- MOFI can facilitate wider use of transcranial ultrasound for imaging and therapy.
