Correlative image registration

Image registration in nuclear medicine and radiology refers to the spatial matching or merging of two or more images from the same or different imaging modalities. The coordinates of the corresponding picture elements (pixels) from different images are transformed to align and equate their positions and spatial coordinates. Correlative image registration is a more restrictive term that applies to the matching of spatial coordinates of images coming from different imaging modalities. The registration of correlative images provides a useful approach to combine the best sensitivities and specificities of complementary procedures to detect, locate, monitor, and measure pathological and other physical changes. Here we review the registration of images from nuclear medicine (single-photon emission computed tomography, positron emission tomography and planar imaging) with those from other imaging modalities (magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, digital subtraction angiography and ultrasound) to closely correlate changes in metabolism, blood flow, receptor density, and other functional measurements with regional anatomy and morphological changes. The types of image registration applications, techniques, and terminology associated with image registration and examples of application are presented.