Interactive Deformable Image Registration with Dual Cursor

Abstract

Deformable image registration is the process of deforming a target image to match corresponding features of a reference image. Fully automatic registration remains difficult; thus, manual registration is dominant in practice. In manual registration, an expert user specifies a set of paired landmarks on the two images; subsequently, the system deforms the target image to match each landmark with its counterpart as a batch process. However, the deformation results are difficult for the user to predict, and moving the cursor back and forth between the two images is time-consuming. To improve the efficiency of this manual process, we propose an interactive method wherein the deformation results are continuously displayed as the user clicks and drags each landmark. Additionally, the system displays two cursors, one on the target image and the other on the reference image, to reduce the amount of mouse movement required. The results of a user study reveal that the proposed interactive method achieves higher accuracy and faster task completion compared to traditional batch landmark placement.