Breast Image Fusion Using Biomechanics
Angela Hao-Chun Lee · University of Auckland Data Repository · 2011
Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer mortality in women worldwide. Biomechanical models of the breast have shown promising results in their ability to predict the deformation of breast tissues under different conditions of compression and gravity loading. A novel multimodality framework was developed and validated using MR and X-ray images of a breast phantom before being applied to clinical breast images. Using this framework, it was shown that the parameters (boundary conditions and mechanical properties) of the biomechanical breast models could be estimated and image alignment improved. This biomechanical modelling framework was shown to simulate reliably deformations arising from both prone-to-supine reorientation, and prone-to-mammographic compression. This capability has the potential to help breast radiologists interpret information from MR and X-ray mammographic imaging in a common visualisation environment. In the future, ultrasound imaging could also be incorporated into this modelling framework to aid clinicians in the diagnosis and management of breast cancer.