Evaluation of Different Registration Algorithms to Reduce Motion Artifacts in CT-Thermography (CTT)
Bogdan Kostyrko,
Kerstin Rubarth,
Christian Althoff,
Miriam Zibell,
Christina Ann Neizert,
Franz Poch,
Giovanni Federico Torsello,
Bernhard Gebauer,
Kai Lehmann,
Stefan Markus Niehues,
Jürgen Mews,
Torsten Diekhoff,
Julian Pohlan
Affiliations
Bogdan Kostyrko
Department of Radiology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Kerstin Rubarth
Institute for Biometry and Clinical Epidemiology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Christian Althoff
Department of Radiology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Miriam Zibell
Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, 12203 Berlin, Germany
Christina Ann Neizert
Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, 12203 Berlin, Germany
Franz Poch
Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, 12203 Berlin, Germany
Giovanni Federico Torsello
Department of Radiology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Bernhard Gebauer
Department of Radiology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Kai Lehmann
Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, 12203 Berlin, Germany
Stefan Markus Niehues
Department of Radiology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Jürgen Mews
Canon Medical Systems Europe BV, Global Research & Development Center, 2718 RP Zoetermeer, The Netherlands
Torsten Diekhoff
Department of Radiology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Julian Pohlan
Department of Radiology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Computed tomography (CT)-based Thermography (CTT) is currently being investigated as a non-invasive temperature monitoring method during ablation procedures. Since multiple CT scans with defined time intervals were acquired during this procedure, interscan motion artifacts can occur between the images, so registration is required. The aim of this study was to investigate different registration algorithms and their combinations for minimizing inter-scan motion artifacts during thermal ablation. Four CTT datasets were acquired using microwave ablation (MWA) of normal liver tissue performed in an in vivo porcine model. During each ablation, spectral CT volume scans were sequentially acquired. Based on initial reconstructions, rigid or elastic registration, or a combination of these, were carried out and rated by 15 radiologists. Friedman’s test was used to compare rating results in reader assessments and revealed significant differences for the ablation probe movement rating only (p = 0.006; range, 5.3–6.6 points). Regarding this parameter, readers assessed rigid registration as inferior to other registrations. Quantitative analysis of ablation probe movement yielded a significantly decreased distance for combined registration as compared with unregistered data. In this study, registration was found to have the greatest influence on ablation probe movement, with connected registration being superior to only one registration process.
