Feature-Based Registration of Thorax CT Scan Slices

Abstract

Radiologists need to find a position of a slice of one computed tomography (CT) scan in another scan. The image registration is a technique used to transform several images into one coordinate system and to compare them. Such transversal plane images obtained by CT scans are considered, where ribs are visible, but it does not lessen the significance of our work because many important internal organs are located here: liver, heart, stomach, pancreas, lungs, etc. The new method is developed for registration based on the mathematical model describing the rib-bounded contour. Parameters of the mathematical model and of distribution of the bone tissue on the CT scan slice form a set of features describing a particular slice. The registration method applies translation, rotation, and scaling invariances. Several strategies of translation invariance and options of the unification of scales are proposed. The method is examined on real CT scans seeking for its best performance.