Bo Li1, Yingmin Liu1, Brett Raymond Cowan1, Alistair Andrew Young1
1Auckland MRI Research Group, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Feature tracking in cardiac cine MR images facilitates the analysis of heart function, but requires extensive computation. We implemented an efficient non-rigid registration algorithm as part of the image reconstruction process to enable in-line calculation of deformation. The method was evaluated in a clinical setting by comparing wall thickening measurements between automated and manual methods in N=36 patients with cardiovascular disease. The time required for the in-line registration was ~10 seconds per slice, and the % wall thickening was more reliably calculated using the automated method. In-line non-rigid registration is clinically feasible and useful for cardiac mechanics.