Division of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Integrated Research and Treatment Center Adiposity Diseases, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
PLoS One. 2019 Jun 26;14(6):e0218754. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218754. eCollection 2019.
Conventional ultrasound (US) is the first-line imaging method for abdominal pathologies, but its diagnostic accuracy is operator-dependent, and data storage is usually limited to two-dimensional images. A novel tomographic US system (Curefab CS, Munich, Germany) processes imaging data combined with three-dimensional spatial information using a magnetic field tracking. This enables standardized image presentation in axial planes and a review of the entire examination. The applicability and diagnostic performance of this tomographic US approach was analyzed in an abdominal setting using conventional US as reference. Tomographic US data were successfully compiled in all subjects of a training cohort (20 healthy volunteers) and in 50 patients with abdominal lesions. Image quality (35% and 79% for training and patient cohort respectively) and completeness of organ visualization (45% and 44%) were frequently impaired in tomographic US compared to conventional US. Conventional and tomographic US showed good agreement for measurement of organ sizes in the training cohort (right liver lobe and both kidneys with a median deviation of 5%). In the patient cohort, tomographic US identified 57 of 74 hepatic or renal lesions detected by conventional ultrasound (sensitivity 77%). In conclusion, this study illustrates the diagnostic potential of abdominal tomographic US, but current significant limitations of the tomographic ultrasound device demand further technical improvements before this and comparable approaches can be implemented in clinical practice.
传统超声（US）是腹部病变的一线影像学方法，但它的诊断准确性依赖于操作者，并且数据存储通常仅限于二维图像。一种新型的断层超声系统（Curefab CS，慕尼黑，德国）使用磁场跟踪技术处理成像数据并结合三维空间信息。这使得可以在轴平面上进行标准化的图像呈现，并对整个检查进行回顾。本研究使用传统 US 作为参考，分析了该断层超声方法在腹部环境中的适用性和诊断性能。断层超声数据在训练队列的所有 20 名健康志愿者和 50 名腹部病变患者中均成功编译。与传统 US 相比，断层 US 的图像质量（训练组为 35%，患者组为 79%）和器官可视化的完整性（训练组为 45%，患者组为 44%）经常受到影响。在训练队列中，常规和断层 US 对器官大小的测量具有良好的一致性（右肝叶和双肾的中位数偏差为 5%）。在患者组中，断层 US 识别出了传统超声检测到的 74 个肝或肾病变中的 57 个（敏感性 77%）。总之，本研究说明了腹部断层超声的诊断潜力，但目前断层超声设备的显著局限性要求进一步的技术改进，然后才能将这种方法和类似的方法应用于临床实践。
