A system and method for image-based registration between images locating (304) a feature in a pre-operative image and comparing (307) real-time images taken with a tracked scope with the pre-operative image taken of the feature to find a real-time image that closely matches the pre-operative image. A closest match real-time image is registered (308) to the pre-operative image to determine a transformation matrix between a position of the pre-operative image and a position of the real-time image provided by a tracker such that the transformation matrix permits tracking real-time image coordinates using the tracker in pre-operative image space.
