A new gold-standard dataset for 2D/3D image registration evaluation

In this paper, we propose a new gold standard data set for the validation of 2D/3D image registration algorithms for image guided radiotherapy. A gold standard data set was calculated using a pig head with attached fiducial markers. We used several imaging modalities common in diagnostic imaging or radiotherapy which include 64-slice computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using T1, T2 and proton density (PD) sequences, and cone beam CT (CBCT) imaging data. Radiographic data were acquired using kilovoltage (kV) and megavoltage (MV) imaging techniques. The image information reflects both anatomy and reliable fiducial marker information, and improves over existing data sets by the level of anatomical detail and image data quality. The markers of three dimensional (3D) and two dimensional (2D) images were segmented using Analyze 9.0 (AnalyzeDirect, Inc) and an in-house software. The projection distance errors (PDE) and the expected target registration errors (TRE) over all the image data sets were found to be less than 1.7 mm and 1.3 mm, respectively. The gold standard data set, obtained with state-of-the-art imaging technology, has the potential to improve the validation of 2D/3D registration algorithms for image guided therapy.