Three-dimensional and Four-dimensional Ultrasound: Techniques and Abdominal Applications

Se Hyung Kim ； Byung Ihn Choi

《Journal of Medical Ultrasound》 15卷4期 (2007/12) Pp. 228-242

並列摘要

Three-dimensional (3D) or four-dimensional (4D) ultrasound (US) has been developed and researched in two major ways. One is to overcome the limitations of 2D US by providing an imaging technique that reduces the variability of the 2D technique and allows the clinician to view the anatomy in 3D, the other is to provide better spatial guidance for various interventional procedures, such as biopsy, focal ablative therapy or image-guided surgery. In the field of diagnostic radiology, various 3D US techniques, such as US cholangiography using minimum intensity projection and volume contrast imaging, have shown excellent performance in achieving better spatial resolution and have reduced inherent noise in comparison with conventional 2D US. As a guidance for interventional procedures, 3D US was proved to be useful in improving the depiction and understanding of the geometric relationships of needles and probes to tumors and other nearby structures, so as to optimize delivery of the needle or ablative agent. Furthermore, 4D US, which is a dynamic 3D US, provides real-time feature of volume datasets instead of ”static” 3D US images, and so enables more intuitive recognition of the 3D spatial relationship between the needle and the target lesion and allows easy alteration in the orientation of the needle under real-time monitoring. The advantages of 3D US are primarily derived from the fundamental properties of 2D US. US has many advantages over computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, including real-time imaging with vessel visualization, decreased procedure time and cost, portability, and lack of ionizing radiation. With continuing technological improvements including computer technology and visualization techniques, 3D US imaging is beginning to migrate from the research laboratory to the examination room. Therefore, radiologists or sonographers should be ready to accept the paradigm shift of viewing 3D images on a computer monitor rather than viewing 2D US images on the ultrasound machine, and they must be familiar with 3D US user interfaces.

並列關鍵字

abdomen ； diagnostic techniques ； three-dimensional image ； ultrasonography