Fusion of Magnetic Resonance and Ultrasound Images Using Guided Filtering: Application to Endometriosis Surgery

This paper studies a new fusion method designed for magnetic resonance (MR) and ultrasound (US) images, with a specific focus on endometriosis diagnosis. The proposed method is based on guided filtering, leveraging the advantages of this technique to enhance the quality of fused images. The fused image is a weighted average of base and detail images from the MR and US images. The weights assigned to the US image account for the presence of speckle noise, a common challenge in US imaging whereas the weights assigned to the MR image allow the contrast of the fused image to be enhanced. The effectiveness of the method is evaluated using synthetic and phantom data, showing promising results. The image provided by the proposed fusion method holds potential for enhancing visualization and aiding decision-making in endometriosis surgery, offering a valuable contribution to the field of medical image fusion.