A system and method for non-rigid image registration using distance
functions includes portions for receiving a source shape into an image
space, integrating a global linear registration model with local
deformations to assess the source shape, optimizing a functional defined
on a parameter or feature space where the functional quantifies the
similarity between the source shape and a target shape in terms of
distance functions, creating an augmented registration space including a
plurality of target shape clones coherently positioned in the image
space, tracking moving interfaces between the source shape and the target
shapes and clones through a level set method, and registering the source
shape by seeking mutual correspondences between the source shape, the
target shape and the target shape clones.