Feature location method and system

Abstract

A method of locating anatomical features in a medical imaging dataset comprises obtaining a medical imaging measurement dataset that comprises image data for a subject body as a function of position; and performing a registration procedure that comprises:—providing a mapping between positions in the measurement dataset and positions in a reference dataset, wherein the reference dataset comprises reference image data for a reference body as a function of position, the reference dataset comprises at least one anatomical landmark, and the or each anatomical landmark is indicative of the position of a respective anatomical feature of the reference body; matching image data in the measurement dataset with image data for corresponding positions in the reference dataset, wherein the corresponding positions are determined according to the mapping; determining a measure of the match between the image data of the measurement dataset and the image data of the reference dataset; varying the mapping to improve the match between the image data of the measurement dataset and the image data of the reference dataset, thereby to obtain a registration mapping; and using the registration mapping to map the positions of the anatomical landmarks to positions in the measurement dataset, thereby to assign positions to anatomical features in the measurement dataset.