Cardiac registration: going further than atrial fibrillation ablation

Precise delineation of anatomy and function are essential for accurately delivering interventional tools during electrophysiological procedures. Fluoroscopy is the traditional imaging modality used because it provides instantaneous information. However, it lacks precise anatomic visualization due to poor soft-tissue contrast between the area of interest and surrounding structures in a moving organ like the heart, resulting in a lack of proper intraprocedure guidance during interventional procedures, especially complex procedures such as atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation and biventricular pacing.Three-dimensional imaging modalities such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging offer high-quality anatomic visualization, given their excellent tissue contrast characteristics and high spatial and temporal resolutions. Cardiac image registration, which involves integration of two images in the context of cardiac structures such as the left atrium, is intermodal, with the acquired image … *Corresponding author. 2801 W. Kinnickinnic River Parkway, Suite 777, Milwaukee, WI 53215, USA. Tel: +1 414 649 3390, Fax: +1 414 649 5769, Email: publishing{at}aurora.org