Nelson T R, Pretorius D H
Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego 92093, USA.
AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1995 Jun;164(6):1485-8. doi: 10.2214/ajr.164.6.7754898.
Evaluation of the complete anatomy of the thoracic skeleton in the developing fetus often is difficult with conventional two-dimensional (2D) sonography because of the curvature of the bones. The purpose of the present work was to assess the ability of three-dimensional (3D) sonography to provide a more complete representation of the fetal thoracic skeleton than available with 2D sonography.
We performed 3D sonographic imaging in eight healthy volunteer pregnant women after obtaining informed consent. Conventional 2D sonographic equipment was adapted to obtain 3D data and to produce volume-rendered images. The 3D sonographic images of the bony spine and thorax were evaluated for clarity with which the vertebral bodies, ribs, scapulae, clavicles, and overall thoracic anatomy were depicted.
The vertebral bodies, spine, and ribs were identifiable on 3D sonograms, which clearly showed the structural continuity of the spine and ribs in all fetuses. Zoomed images of subregions of the spine were useful for showing details of the vertebrae. Stereo glasses and rotation of the volume data proved useful in appreciating the spatial relationships of the spine and rib cage.
Three-dimensional sonography provides additional information about the fetal thoracic skeleton to that furnished by 2D sonography by presenting the thorax as a coherent structure rather than as a series of cross-sectional slices.
由于骨骼的弯曲，在发育中的胎儿中，使用传统二维超声难以评估胸廓骨骼的完整解剖结构。本研究的目的是评估三维超声相对于二维超声而言，能否更完整地呈现胎儿胸廓骨骼。
在获得八名健康孕妇志愿者的知情同意后，我们对其进行了三维超声成像。对传统二维超声设备进行改装以获取三维数据并生成容积再现图像。评估了脊柱和胸廓的三维超声图像中椎体、肋骨、肩胛骨、锁骨及整体胸廓解剖结构的显示清晰度。
在三维超声图像上可识别椎体、脊柱和肋骨，所有胎儿的脊柱和肋骨的结构连续性均清晰可见。脊柱各亚区域的放大图像有助于显示椎体细节。立体眼镜和容积数据旋转在理解脊柱与胸廓的空间关系方面很有用。
三维超声通过将胸廓呈现为一个连贯的结构而非一系列横断面切片，提供了二维超声所无法提供的有关胎儿胸廓骨骼的额外信息。
