Jiang Wei Wei, Zhou Guang Quan, Lai Ka Lee, Hu Song Yu, Gao Qing Yu, Wang Xiao Yan, Zheng Yong Ping
College of Computer Science & Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China.
State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
Math Biosci Eng. 2019 Feb 15;16(3):1067-1081. doi: 10.3934/mbe.2019051.
Applying ultrasound for scoliosis assessment has been an attractive topic over the past decade. This study proposed a new fast 3-D ultrasound projection imaging method to evaluate the spine deformity. A narrow-band rendering method was used to generate the coronal images based on B-mode images and their corresponding positional data. The non-planar reslicing method, which followed the natural spine curve, was used to project the complete spine data into the coronal image. The repeatability of the new method was tested. A comparison experiment on the reconstructed images and the processing time between the conventional 3-D rendering method and the developed projection imaging method was also performed among 70 patients with scoliosis. The intra- and inter-operator tests results demonstrated very good repeatability (ICC ≥ 0.90). The mean processing times for the developed projection method and conventional rendering method were 15.07 ± 0.03 s and 130.31 ± 35.07 s, respectively. The angle measurement results showed a high correlation (y = 0.984x, r = 0.954) between the images obtained using the two methods. The above results indicated that the developed projection imaging method could greatly decrease the processing time while preserving the comparative image quality. It can be expected that this novel method may help to provide fast 3-D ultrasound diagnosis of scoliosis in clinics.
在过去十年中，应用超声进行脊柱侧弯评估一直是一个备受关注的话题。本研究提出了一种新的快速三维超声投影成像方法来评估脊柱畸形。基于B超图像及其相应的位置数据，采用窄带渲染方法生成冠状面图像。采用非平面重切片方法，沿着自然脊柱曲线将完整的脊柱数据投影到冠状面图像中。对新方法的可重复性进行了测试。在70例脊柱侧弯患者中，还对传统三维渲染方法和所开发的投影成像方法在重建图像和处理时间方面进行了对比实验。操作者内和操作者间测试结果显示出非常好的可重复性（组内相关系数≥0.90）。所开发的投影方法和传统渲染方法的平均处理时间分别为15.07±0.03秒和130.31±35.07秒。角度测量结果表明，两种方法获得的图像之间具有高度相关性（y = 0.984x，r = 0.954）。上述结果表明，所开发的投影成像方法在保持图像质量相当的同时，可以大大减少处理时间。可以预期，这种新方法可能有助于在临床上提供快速的三维超声诊断脊柱侧弯。
