Automatic tracking of SPAMM grid in MR images

A novel approach to the automatic tracking of the SPAMM (spatial modulation of magnetization) grid in cardiac MR (magnetic resonance) images is presented. The tracking is used to extract grid points from MR images and to establish correspondences between grid points belonging to images taken at consecutive frames. Such correspondences are useful for motion and deformation estimation. Spatio-temporal tracking of the SPAMM grid is achieved by using snakes-active contour models with an associated energy functional. A minimizing strategy suitable for tracking the SPAMM grid is presented. By continuously minimizing their energy functionals, their snakes lock on to and follow the 2-D motion and deformation of the grid. Point correspondences are automatically made available. No explicit matching is necessary