Purpose: A new nonrigid registration method, designed to reduce the effect
of movement artifact in subtraction images from breast MR, is compared with
existing rigid and affine registration methods.
Method: Nonrigid registration was compared with rigid and affine registrati
on methods and unregistered images using 54 gadolinium-enhanced 3D breast M
R data sets. Twenty-seven data sets had been previously reported normal, an
d 27 contained a histologically proven carcinoma. The comparison was based
on visual assessment and ranking by two radiologists.
Results: When analyzed by two radiologists independently, all three registr
ation methods gave better-quality subtraction images than unregistered imag
es (p < 0.01), but nonrigid registration gave significantly better results
than the rigid and affine registration methods (p < 0.01). There was no sig
nificant difference between rigid and affine registration methods.
Conclusion: Nonrigid registration significantly reduces the effects of move
ment artifact in subtracted contrast-enhanced breast MRI. This may enable b
etter visualization of small tumors and those. within a glandular breast.