The LUMirage: An independent evaluation of zero-shot performance in the LUMIR challenge

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Jena, Rohit, Chaudhari, Pratik, Gee, James C.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Jena, Rohit
Chaudhari, Pratik
Gee, James C.
author_facet Jena, Rohit
Chaudhari, Pratik
Gee, James C.
contents The LUMIR challenge represents an important benchmark for evaluating deformable image registration methods on large-scale neuroimaging data. While the challenge demonstrates that modern deep learning methods achieve competitive accuracy on T1-weighted MRI, it also claims exceptional zero-shot generalization to unseen contrasts and resolutions, assertions that contradict established understanding of domain shift in deep learning. In this paper, we perform an independent re-evaluation of these zero-shot claims using rigorous evaluation protocols while addressing potential sources of instrumentation bias. Our findings reveal a more nuanced picture: (1) deep learning methods perform comparably to iterative optimization on in-distribution T1w images and even on human-adjacent species (macaque), demonstrating improved task understanding; (2) however, performance degrades significantly on out-of-distribution contrasts (T2, T2*, FLAIR), with Cohen's d scores ranging from 0.7-1.5, indicating substantial practical impact on downstream clinical workflows; (3) deep learning methods face scalability limitations on high-resolution data, failing to run on 0.6 mm isotropic images, while iterative methods benefit from increased resolution; and (4) deep methods exhibit high sensitivity to preprocessing choices. These results align with the well-established literature on domain shift and suggest that claims of universal zero-shot superiority require careful scrutiny. We advocate for evaluation protocols that reflect practical clinical and research workflows rather than conditions that may inadvertently favor particular method classes.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_15505
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The LUMirage: An independent evaluation of zero-shot performance in the LUMIR challenge
Jena, Rohit
Chaudhari, Pratik
Gee, James C.
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Image and Video Processing
The LUMIR challenge represents an important benchmark for evaluating deformable image registration methods on large-scale neuroimaging data. While the challenge demonstrates that modern deep learning methods achieve competitive accuracy on T1-weighted MRI, it also claims exceptional zero-shot generalization to unseen contrasts and resolutions, assertions that contradict established understanding of domain shift in deep learning. In this paper, we perform an independent re-evaluation of these zero-shot claims using rigorous evaluation protocols while addressing potential sources of instrumentation bias. Our findings reveal a more nuanced picture: (1) deep learning methods perform comparably to iterative optimization on in-distribution T1w images and even on human-adjacent species (macaque), demonstrating improved task understanding; (2) however, performance degrades significantly on out-of-distribution contrasts (T2, T2*, FLAIR), with Cohen's d scores ranging from 0.7-1.5, indicating substantial practical impact on downstream clinical workflows; (3) deep learning methods face scalability limitations on high-resolution data, failing to run on 0.6 mm isotropic images, while iterative methods benefit from increased resolution; and (4) deep methods exhibit high sensitivity to preprocessing choices. These results align with the well-established literature on domain shift and suggest that claims of universal zero-shot superiority require careful scrutiny. We advocate for evaluation protocols that reflect practical clinical and research workflows rather than conditions that may inadvertently favor particular method classes.
title The LUMirage: An independent evaluation of zero-shot performance in the LUMIR challenge
topic Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Image and Video Processing
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.15505