The invention relates to an image registration apparatus for registering a first image and a second image with respect to each other. A model, which has a fixed topology, is adapted to the first image for generating a first adapted model and to the second image for generating a second adapted model, and corresponding image elements (40, 48, 49; 50, 58, 9) are determined in the first image and in the second image based on spatial positions of first image elements in the first image with respect to the first adapted model and spatial positions of second image elements in the second image with respect to the second adapted model. Since the model has a fixed topology, corresponding image elements can relatively reliably be found based on the adapted models, even if the first and second images show objects having complex properties like a heart, thereby improving the registration quality.