Task
2.5, 2D-3D Registration and Reconstruction, was initiated
in Year 3 in response to clinician and industrial interest in the
use of C-arms in surgery. The technical goal is to reconstruct a patient-specific
3D model of anatomy, during therapy, from 2D x-ray projections. The
core research involves computed reconstruction, 2D-3D registration,
and statistical atlases. The clinical opportunities are numerous,
including pelvic surgery and mega-voltage radiosurgery. Three investigators
(Wells, Taylor, Prince) have partnered in collaborative research on
mutual information methods for 2D-3D registration, tetrahedral statistical
atlases, and cone-beam reconstruction algorithms. Within the last
year, we used preliminary results for papers, for a (pending) NIH
R21 grant, and in an invention disclosure (with industrial partner
Siemens Corporation). In addition, algorithm developments arising
from core ERC funding are enabling several types of systems which
are being developed in collaboration with various partners. With Siemens
Corporation, we are working on the integration of prior CT data with
partial information obtain from C-arms. With NIH funding we will be
working with clinicians in Orthopedic Surgery on a C-arm system for
visualization during total hip replacement and hip fracture reduction
surgeries. And, we are collaborating with clinicians in Radiation
Oncology on research on both fractionated stereotactic spinal radiosurgery
and external beam radiation therapy for soft tissue localization.
Next year, we will continue to develop and refine our core methods,
improving their performance within the specific targeted applications,
while working on enhancements that will generalize the methods for
more extensive application.