PC-Based System for Calibration, Reconstruction, Processing, and Visualization of 3D Ultrasound Data Based on a Magnetic-Field Position and Orientation Sensing System

摘要

3D-ultrasound can become a new, fast, non-radiative, non-invasive, and inexpensive tomographic medical imaging technique with unique advantages for the localization of vessels and tumors in soft tissue (spleen, kidneys, liver, breast etc.). In general, unlike the usual 2D-ultrasound, in the 3D-case a complete volume is covered with a whole series of cuts, which would enable a 3D reconstruction and visualization. In the last two decades, many researchers have attempted to produce systems that would allow the construction and visualization of three-dimensional (3-D) images from ultrasound data. There is a general agreement that this development represents a positive step forward in medical imaging, and clinical applications have been suggested in many different areas. However, it is clear that 3-D ultrasound has not yet gained widespread clinical acceptance, and that there are still important problems to solve before it becomes a common tool.