Background

Cranial ultrasound is frequently performed in neonatal intensive care units and acquiring 2-dimensional (D) images requires significant training. Three-D ultrasound images can be acquired semi-automatically.

Objective

This proof-of-concept study aimed to demonstrate that 3-D study image quality compares well with 2-D. If this is successful, 3-D images could be acquired in remote areas and read remotely by experts.

Materials and methods

This was a prospective study of 20 neonates, who underwent both routine 2-D and 3-D cranial ultrasounds. Images were reconstructed into standard views extracted from the 3-D volume and evaluated by three radiologists blinded to the acquisition method. The radiologists assessed for the presence of anatomical landmarks and overall image quality.

Results

More anatomical structures were identified in the 3-D studies (P<0.01). There was a trend that 3-D ultrasound demonstrated better image quality in the coronal plane, and 2-D in the sagittal plane, only reaching statistical significance for two coronal views and two sagittal views.

Conclusion

Overall, this study has demonstrated that 3-D cranial ultrasound performs similarly to 2-D and could be implemented into neonatal practice.

中文翻译：

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3 维颅脑超声能否在不影响新生儿群体图像质量的情况下成功重建 2 维图像？

背景

颅脑超声检查经常在新生儿重症监护室进行，获取二维 (D) 图像需要大量培训。三维超声图像可以半自动采集。

客观的

这项概念验证研究旨在证明 3D 研究图像质量与 2D 图像质量相当。如果成功，专家就可以在偏远地区获取 3D 图像并远程读取。

材料和方法

这是一项针对 20 名新生儿的前瞻性研究，他们接受了常规 2-D 和 3-D 颅骨超声检查。图像被重建为从 3D 体积中提取的标准视图，并由三名对采集方法不知情的放射科医生进行评估。放射科医生评估了解剖标志的存在和整体图像质量。

结果

3D 研究中发现了更多的解剖结构（P <0.01）。有一种趋势是，3-D 超声在冠状面显示出更好的图像质量，而 2-D 在矢状面显示出更好的图像质量，仅在两个冠状视图和两个矢状视图上达到统计显着性。

结论

总体而言，这项研究表明 3D 颅脑超声的表现与 2D 类似，可以应用于新生儿实践。