Feature-based US to CT registration of the aortic root
Published in SPIE Medical Imaging, 2011
Recommended citation: Lang P, Chen ECS, Guiraudon GM, Jones DL, Bainbridge D, Chu MW, Drangova M, Hata N, Jain A, Peters TM, (2011). "Feature-based US to CT registration of the aortic root"; in SPIE Medical Imaging: Visualization, Image-Guided Procedures, and Modeling, 79641G, pp. 442-450. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.878386
A feature-based registration was developed to align biplane and tracked ultrasound images of the aortic root with a preoperative CT volume. In transcatheter aortic valve replacement, a prosthetic valve is inserted into the aortic annulus via a catheter. Poor anatomical visualization of the aortic root region can result in incorrect positioning, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Registration of pre-operative CT to transesophageal ultrasound and fluoroscopy images is a major step towards providing augmented image guidance for this procedure. The proposed registration approach uses an iterative closest point algorithm to register a surface mesh generated from CT to 3D US points reconstructed from a single biplane US acquisition, or multiple tracked US images. The use of a single simultaneous acquisition biplane image eliminates reconstruction error introduced by cardiac gating and TEE probe tracking, creating potential for real-time intra-operative registration. A simple initialization procedure is used to minimize changes to operating room workflow. The algorithm is tested on images acquired from excised porcine hearts. Results demonstrate a clinically acceptable accuracy of 2.6mm and 5mm for tracked US to CT and biplane US to CT registration respectively.