Model-based registration of X-ray mammograms and MR images of the female breast

We present a new approach for automatic registration of X-ray mammograms and MR images. Multimodal breast cancer diagnosis is supported by automatic localization of small lesions, which are only visible in the mammograms or in the MR image. To cope with the huge deformation of the breast during mammography, a finite element model of the deformable behavior of the breast is applied during the registration. An evaluation of the registration with six clinical data sets resulted in an accurate localization with a mean displacement of 4.3 mm (+/- 1 mm) and 3.9 mm (+/- 1.7 mm) for predicting the lesion position in mammograms and in the MR images, respectively.