Deformable Registration of Differently-Weighted Breast Magnetic Resonance Images

Abstract

Dynamic breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) commonly acquires T1- and T2-weighted images. Joint inspection of both sequences in particular allows to distinguish between benign cyst-type and malignant lesions. However, in routine diagnostics both images are regarded independently, and immediate correlation is prevented by patient motion and tissue deformations. Differences in resolution and intensity distribution prevent a co-registration by established breast registration techniques. Instead, we propose to employ a deformable registration method that takes such differences into account. Accuracy of the method was confirmed through visual inspection and landmark-based assessment, indicating an average registration accuracy of 1.74 mm. We demonstrate how the proposed technique facilitates a joint visualization of both MRI-sequences, thereby offering valuable diagnostic support.