In this paper, we propose a novel approach for automatically tracking deformable target within 2D ultrasound images. Our approach uses only dense information combined with a physically-based model and has therefore the advantage of not using any fiducial marker nor a priori knowledge on the anatomical environment. The physical model is represented by a mass-spring damper system driven by different types of forces where the external forces are obtained by maximizing image similarity metric between a reference target and a deformed target across the time. This deformation is represented by a parametric warping model where the optimal parameters are estimated from the intensity variation. This warping function is well-suited to represent localized deformations in the ultrasound images because it directly links the forces applied on each mass with the motion of all the pixels in its vicinity. The internal forces constrain the deformation to physically plausible motions, and reduce the sensitivity to the speckle noise. The approach was validated on simulated and real data, both for rigid and free-form motions of soft tissues. The results are very promising since the deformable target could be tracked with a good accuracy for both types of motion. Our approach opens novel possibilities for computer-assisted interventions where deformable organs are involved and could be used as a new tool for interactive tracking of soft tissues in ultrasound images.
In this paper, we present a new non-rigid target tracking method within 2D ultrasound (US) image sequence. Due to the poor quality of US images, the motion tracking of a tumor or cyst during needle insertion is considered as an open research issue. Our approach is based on well-known compression algorithm in order to make our method work in real-time which is a necessary condition for many clinical applications. Toward that end, we employed a dedicated hierarchical grid interpolation algorithm (HGI) which can represent a large variety of deformations compared to other motion estimation algorithms such as Overlapped Block Motion Compensation (OBMC), or Block Motion Algorithm (BMA). The sum of squared difference of image intensity is selected as similarity criterion because it provides a good trade-off between computation time and motion estimation quality. Contrary to the others methods proposed in the literature, our approach has the ability to distinguish both rigid and non-rigid motions which are observed in ultrasound image modality. Furthermore, this technique does not take into account any prior knowledge about the target, and limits the user interaction which usually complicates the medical validation process. Finally, a technique aiming at identifying the main phases of a periodic motion (e.g. breathing motion) is introduced. The new approach has been validated from 2D ultrasound images of real human tissues which undergo rigid and non-rigid deformations.
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