A survey of shaped-based registration and segmentation techniques for cardiac images

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the modern world. Cardiac imaging is routinely applied for assessment and diagnosis of cardiac diseases. Computerized image analysis methods are now widely applied to cardiac segmentation and registration in order to extract the anatomy and contractile function of the heart. The vast number of recent papers on this topic point to the need for an up to date survey in order to summarize and classify the published literature. This paper presents a survey of shape modeling applications to cardiac image analysis from MRI, CT, echocardiography, PET, and SPECT and aims to (1) introduce new methodologies in this field, (2) classify major contributions in image-based cardiac modeling, (3) provide a tutorial to beginners to initiate their own studies, and (4) introduce the major challenges of registration and segmentation and provide practical examples. The techniques surveyed include statistical models, deformable models/level sets, biophysical models, and non-rigid registration using basis functions. About 130 journal articles are categorized based on methodology, output, imaging system, modality, and validations. The advantages and disadvantages of the registration and validation techniques are discussed as appropriate in each section.