Automatic fiducial localization in brain images

Dept of Computer Science and Engineering, Oakland University, USA Institute for Scientific Computing , Wayne State University, USA Abstract. Point-based registration is one of the most popular registration methods in practice. During registration, we use external fiducial markers that are rigidly attached through the skin to the skull. Determining the coordinates of the fiducials without human selection is crucial for a fully automatic point-based image registration. In this paper, an image processing technique for automatic fiducial detection is presented. The technique, which is fast, automatic and accurate, has two major steps: Edge map construction and curvature-based object detection. Experimental results are promising compared to the manul selection by experts with no error for 56 CT images and 3% error for 66 MR images.