In this paper, we present a new non-parametric combined segmentation and registration method. The problem is cast as an optimization one, combining a matching criterion based on the active contour without edges [4] for segmentation, and a nonlinear-elasticity-based smoother on the displacement vector field. This modeling is twofold: first, registration is jointly performed with segmentation since guided by the segmentation process; it means that the algorithm produces both a smooth mapping between the two shapes and the segmentation of the object contained in the reference image. Secondly, the use of a nonlinearelasticity-type regularizer allows large deformations to occur, which makes the model comparable in this point with the viscous fluid registration method [7]. Several applications are proposed to demonstrate the potential of this method to both segmentation of one single image and to registration between two images.
Carole Le Guyader, Luminita A. Vese