Registration and normalization of MRI/PET images

Parametric imaging is more and more popular in dynamic brain studies. It enables to quantitatively or semi-quantitatively estimate physiological state and processes in brain. Parametric images represent spatial distribution of parameter values calculated for chosen mathematical model of the process or object. This work compares different methods of geometrical transformations for image registration and normalization. Appropriate method for image registration and normalization (in reference to atlases) is extremely important for common visualization of structural and parametric images in MRI and PET studies. Rigid and elastic geometrical transformations are implemented and compared. Additionally Delaunay triangulation and image morphing methods are used. Manual and proposed automatic registration and normalization methods are presented and compared based on MRI/PET and Talairach atlas images. Concluding, the proposed automatic image normalization method is accurate and using the combination of Delaunay and morphing methods can produce even better results.