Three-dimensional reconstruction of the prostate from transverse or sagittal ultrasonic images

摘要

A device devoted to the 3-D representation of the prostate has been developed. It operates with either sagittal or transverse images. On each selected image, an operator outlines the prostate (and/or an eventual pathological area), by means of a digitizing tablet. These contours are then described by a limited number of points. From these points, belonging to the object envelope, two 3-D representation techniques have been implemented: the B-spline parametric surface and the triangulation method. The main advantage of the triangulation algorithm is its rapidity, contrary to the one using the parametric surfaces. Moreover, it allows satisfying representations of simple anatomic shapes like the prostate. The understanding of the geometry of the object is improved by a fast rotation of the whole object.