Integration of a 3D ultrasound probe into neuronavigation.

BACKGROUND

Intraoperative ultrasound (iUS) allows the generation of real-time data sets during surgical interventions. The recent innovation of 3D ultrasound probes permits the acquisition of 3D data sets without the need to reconstruct the volume by 2D slices. This article describes the integration of a tracked 3D ultrasound probe into a neuronavigation.

METHODS

An ultrasound device, provided with both a 2D sector probe and a 3D endocavity transducer, was integrated in a navigation system with an optical tracking device. Navigation was performed by fusion of preoperatively acquired MRI data and intraoperatively acquired ultrasound data throughout an open biopsy. Data sets with both probes were acquired transdurally and compared.

RESULTS

The acquisition with the 3D probe, processing and visualization of the volume only took about 2 min in total. The volume data set acquired by the 3D probe appears more homogeneous and offers better image quality in comparison with the image data acquired by the 2D probe.

CONCLUSIONS

The integration of a 3D probe into neuronavigation is possible and has certain advantages compared with a 2D probe. The risk of injury can be reduced, and the application can be recommended for certain cases, particularly for small craniotomies.