[Initial studies of 3-dimensional imaging using ultrasound].

In the study reported here three-dimensional sonographic imaging of organs was achieved for the first time. To make this possible it was first necessary to ensure, by appropriate guidance of the probe, that the sequence of sonographic sections was coordinated in their spatial arrangement. This was accomplished by constructing a probe guide with which parallel sonographic sections could be demonstrated. The distance between these sections was known, so that with the aid of suitable computer programs three-dimensional reconstruction of a kidney examined in a water bath was possible. Since, however, due to the uneven surface of the body, it will hardly be possible to obtain parallel sonographic sections of an organ, a new solution had to be found to ensure the necessary coordinated sequence of sections. The solution lay in rotating the probe. A further device was constructed in which the probe could be rotated farther, by known angles, from section to section. The pivotal point was at the center of the probe tip. The computer knew the angular distance between these sections and reconstruction to a three-dimensional image was therefore possible. Prior the three-dimensional reconstruction the ultrasonographic sections had to be contoured, since only the surface of the organ was available for three-dimensional image construction. Three-dimensional imaging of an organ can be achieved on the one hand by binary representation and on the other with a continuous organ surface. The advantage of binary representation is that the original sonographic data are incorporated in the image-producing process without any computer manipulation; with a continuous surface the distance between the individual sections has to be interpolated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)