Stroke Unit, Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Eur Neurol. 2011;65(6):309-16. doi: 10.1159/000327694. Epub 2011 May 17.
Several specialists use three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound as adjuvant imaging technique in their clinical practice. It has been applied to study carotid plaque morphology, surface and volume during atherosclerosis progression. Nonetheless, no papers have so far described the use of this technique in conditions different than carotid stenosis, such as bifurcation anatomy changes of the caliber and vessel course modifications.
Patients admitted to our ultrasound laboratory for vascular screening were submitted to standard carotid duplex and to 3D ultrasound reconstruction of the carotid bifurcation.
Forty normal subjects, 7 patients with caliber alterations (4 carotid bulb ectasia and 3 internal carotid lumen narrowing), 45 patients with course variations (tortuosities and kinking) and 35 patients with internal carotid artery stenosis of various degrees have been investigated.
3D ultrasound is a feasible technique. It can improve carotid axis imaging through a better presentation of caliber variations and vessel course 'at a glance'. 3D ultrasound from the inward flow can provide imaging of the stenosis, but stenosis quantification should always take into account the assessment of plaque morphology and vessel wall.
几位专家在临床实践中使用三维（3D）超声作为辅助成像技术。它已被应用于研究颈动脉斑块形态、在动脉粥样硬化进展过程中的表面和体积。然而，迄今为止，尚无文献描述该技术在颈动脉狭窄以外的情况下的应用，例如分叉处口径和血管走行的变化。
因血管筛查而被送入我们超声实验室的患者接受了标准颈动脉双功能超声和颈动脉分叉处 3D 超声重建。
共研究了 40 例正常受试者、4 例口径改变的患者（4 例颈动脉球扩张和 3 例颈内动脉管腔狭窄）、45 例走行变异的患者（迂曲和扭曲）和 35 例颈内动脉狭窄程度不同的患者。
3D 超声是一种可行的技术。它可以通过更好地呈现口径变化和血管走行来改善颈动脉轴的成像。从内流进行 3D 超声可以提供狭窄的成像，但狭窄的定量评估应始终考虑斑块形态和血管壁的评估。
