3-D sonographic volume measurement of the cerebral ventricular system: in vitro validation.
This in vitro study evaluates the accuracy and observer dependency of a freehand three-dimensional (3-D) ultrasound system for measuring cerebral ventricular volume in infants. A sphere, a cylinder, and three cerebral ventricle phantoms were made of agarose and embedded in an echogenic matrix after measuring true volumes by water displacement. Volumes of the models were calculated by 3-D software after manual contour marking on ultrasound cross-sections. Mean +/- SD sonographic volume was 94.6%+/-7.3% (n = 130) of true volumes. Intraobserver variation (n = 10) was 2.3%-5.3% for complete investigation (scanning and marking), and 1.8%-4.1% for marking alone. Difference of means (n = 10) between two observers was 7.6% to 10.8% for complete investigation, and 0.6% to 1.6% for the marking process. We conclude that 3-D freehand ultrasonography may be useful for examining ventricle dilatation in infancy.
Kampmann
W
W
Department of Neonatology, Charité, Virchow-Hospital, Humboldt Universität Berlin, Germany. wilhelm.kampmann@t-online.de
Walka
M M
MM
Vogel
M
M
Obladen
M
M
D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods*; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015588:Observer Variation; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014463:Ultrasonography