Medical and Biological Physics(DMBP)
Physique médicale et biologique (DPMB)
Aaron FENSTER
Robarts Research Institute
Use of 3D Ultrasound Imaging in Diagnosis, Treatment and Research: Advances and Opportunities
2D viewing of 3D anatomy, using conventional ultrasound, limits our ability to quantify and visualize the anatomy and guide therapy, because multiple 2D images must be integrated mentally. This practice is inefficient, and leads to variability and incorrect diagnoses. Over the past 2 decades, investigators have addressed these limitations by developing 3D ultrasound techniques. In this paper we describe our developments of 3D ultrasound imaging instrumentation and techniques for diagnosis, image-guided therapy and use in basic biomedical research. Examples will be given for imaging various organs, such as the prostate, carotid arteries, and breast, and for the use in 3D ultrasound-guided brachytherapy and cryosurgery. In addition, we describe 3D segmentation methods that can be used for quantitative analysis of disease progression and regression in humans as well as research animal models.