Non-rigid image registration: theory and practice. The British

Abstract. Image registration is an important enabling technology in medical image analysis. The current emphasis is on development and validation of application-specific non-rigid techniques, but there is already a plethora of techniques and terminology in use. In this paper we discuss the current state of the art of non-rigid registration to put on-going research in context and to highlight current and future clinical applications that might benefit from this technology. The philosophy and motivation underlying non-rigid registration is discussed and a guide to common terminology is presented. The core components of registration systems are described and outstanding issues of validity and validation are confronted. Image registration is a key enabling technology in medical image analysis that has benefited from 20 years of development [1]. It is a process for determining the correspondence of features between images collected at different times or using different imaging modalities. The correspondences can be used to change the appearance – by rotating, translating, stretching etc. – of one image so it more closely resembles another so the pair can be directl