Method and apparatus for registration of multimodal imaging data using constraints

1. A method for registering images obtained in a multi-modal medical imaging system, the method comprising:

setting a first image as a target image and setting a second image as an object image, wherein the first and second images are obtained from first and second imaging modalities, respectively;

segmenting the object image into one or more anatomic segments, each segment associated with a respective anatomic class;

assigning at least one attribute to at least one of the anatomic segments based on the anatomic class corresponding to said at least one anatomic segment; and

using a computer of the multi-modal medical imaging system, performing a registration with the object image and the target image, wherein the registration is constrained by the assigned at least one attribute.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the registration includes applying an elastic deformation.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein performing the registration includes applying a shear transformation to at least one anatomic segment.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one attribute includes one or more elasticity attributes.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the second imaging modality is computed tomography.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the elasticity attributes include elasticity tensors, the method further including deriving a candidate direction of motion and a candidate warping for one of the anatomic segments based on an elasticity tensor assigned to said one anatomic segment.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of anatomic segments includes one or more bone segments and one or more soft tissue segments, and performing the registration includes:

performing a rigid registration for at least one of the bone segments; and

performing a non-rigid registration for at least one soft tissue segment based on a transformation of one of the bone segments determined by the rigid registration.

8. The method of claim 4 , further including computing an elasticity tensor for one of the anatomic segments based on a known motion of said one anatomic segment.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the registration generates registration data and the plurality of anatomic segments includes one or more soft tissue segments, the method further including patient-specific calibration of the registration data by:

perturbing at least one of the soft tissue segments according to a material property parameter and assigned attributes;

analyzing a response of said at least one soft tissue segment resulting from the perturbation; and

setting the attribute associated with said at least one soft tissue segment based on the analysis of the response.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first imaging modality is a functional imaging modality and the second imaging modality is an anatomic imaging modality.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions embodied tangibly thereupon, the instructions when executed configured to cause one or more processors to perform the operations of registering images obtained in a multi-modal medical imaging system, the operations comprising:

setting a first image as a target image and setting a second image as an object image, wherein the first and second images are obtained from first and second imaging modalities, respectively;

segmenting the object image into one or more anatomic segments, each segment associated with a respective anatomic class;

assigning at least one attribute to at least one of the anatomic segments based on the anatomic class corresponding to said at least one anatomic segment; and

performing a registration with the object image and the target image, wherein the registration is constrained by the assigned at least one attribute.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the at least one attribute includes one or more elasticity attributes.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the elasticity attributes include elasticity tensors, the instructions when executed further configured to cause the one or more processors to derive a candidate direction of motion and a candidate warping for one of the anatomic segments based on an elasticity tensor assigned to said one anatomic segment.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of anatomic segments includes one or more bone segments and one or more soft tissue segments, and performing the registration includes:

performing a rigid registration for at least one of the bone segments; and

performing a non-rigid registration for at least one soft tissue segment based on a transformation of one of the bone segments determined by the rigid registration.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the instructions when executed are further configured to cause the one or more processors to compute an elasticity tensor for one of the anatomic segments based on a known motion of said one anatomic segment.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of anatomic segments includes one or more soft tissue segments, the method further including patient-specific calibration of registration data generated by the registration, the calibration including:

perturbing at least one of the soft tissue segments according to a predetermined kinematics parameter;

analyzing a response of said at least one soft tissue segment resulting from the perturbation; and

setting the attribute associated with said at least one soft tissue segment based on the analysis of the response.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the first imaging modality is a functional imaging modality and the second imaging modality is an anatomic imaging modality.

18. A method for registering images obtained in a multi-modal medical imaging system, the method comprising:

setting a first image as a target image and setting a second image as an object image, wherein the first and second images are obtained from first and second imaging modalities, respectively;

segmenting the object image into one or more anatomic segments;

assigning at least one attribute to at least one of the anatomic segments based on anatomic information associated with said at least one anatomic segment; and

using a computer of the multi-modal medical imaging system, performing a registration with the object image and the target image, wherein the registration is constrained by the assigned attributes.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein performing the registration includes applying an elastic deformation.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the first imaging modality is a functional imaging modality and the second imaging modality is an anatomic imaging modality.