ABSTRACT
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides information about the size, shape, and spatial relationships among anatomical structures, together with functional information with or without the use of contrast media. Combining the information provided by MRI with that provided by other acquisition modalities is an important issue in MRI-based diagnostic. For instance, computer-assisted tomography (CT) images of bony structures and ultrasound (US) views of soft tissues can improve the anatomical information provided by MRI. Positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon computed tomography (SPECT) imaging provide quantitative information on blood flow and metabolic processes that can be combined with MRI. Other important fields of application of multimodal registration are image-guided therapy, neurosurgery, and orthopedic surgery [1]. Registration is also used in
treatment planning [2], and brain atlases and mapping [2]. Developing applications include multimedia patient records, postgenomic registration to characterize gene function, registration of intra-and preoperative images in surgical interventions, and treatment monitoring.
