Maas Esther J, Donkers Kim M, de Hoop Hein, Nievergeld Arjet H M, Thirugnanasambandam Mirunalini, van Sambeek Marc R H M, Lopata Richard G P
PULS/e group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Department of Vascular Surgery, Catharina Hospital Eindhoven, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Ultrason Imaging. 2025 Jan;47(1):3-13. doi: 10.1177/01617346241285168. Epub 2024 Oct 8.
Time-resolved three-dimensional ultrasound (3D + t US) is a promising imaging modality for monitoring abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), providing their 3D geometry and motion. The lateral contrast of US is poor, a well-documented drawback which multi-perspective (MP) imaging could resolve. This study aims to show the feasibility of in vivo multi-perspective 3D + t ultrasound imaging of AAAs for improving the image contrast and displacement accuracy. To achieve this, single-perspective (SP) aortic ultrasound images from three different angles were spatiotemporally registered and fused, and the displacements were compounded. The fused MP had a significantly higher wall-lumen contrast than the SP images, for both patients and volunteers ( < .001). MP radial displacements patterns are smoother than SP patterns in 67% of volunteers and 92% of patients. The MP images from three angles have a decreased tracking error ( < .001 for all participants), and an improved SNR compared to two out of three SP images ( < .05). This study has shown the added value of MP 3D + t US, improving both image contrast and displacement accuracy in AAA imaging. This is a step toward using multiple or large transducers in the clinic to capture the 3D geometry and strain more accurately, for patient-specific characterization of AAAs.
时间分辨三维超声（3D + t US）是一种很有前景的用于监测腹主动脉瘤（AAA）的成像方式，可提供其三维几何形状和运动情况。超声的侧向对比度较差，这是一个有充分记录的缺点，而多视角（MP）成像可以解决这一问题。本研究旨在展示对AAA进行体内多视角3D + t超声成像以提高图像对比度和位移准确性的可行性。为此，对来自三个不同角度的单视角（SP）主动脉超声图像进行时空配准和融合，并对位移进行合成。无论是患者还是志愿者，融合后的MP图像的壁腔对比度均显著高于SP图像（<0.001）。在67%的志愿者和92%的患者中，MP径向位移模式比SP模式更平滑。与三个SP图像中的两个相比，来自三个角度的MP图像跟踪误差降低（所有参与者均<0.001），且信噪比提高（<0.05）。本研究显示了MP 3D + t US的附加价值，提高了AAA成像中的图像对比度和位移准确性。这是朝着在临床中使用多个或大型换能器更准确地捕捉三维几何形状和应变迈出的一步，以实现对AAA的个体化特征描述。
