title: Three-dimensional fetal ultrasound.
abstract: Three-dimensional (3D) imaging by ultrasound was proposed in the 1950s. Since the end of the 1980s, 3D ultrasound has become a major field of research in obstetrics and gynaecology. The technique of acquiring 3D data involves making a set of consecutive 2D ultrasound slices by moving the transducer and continuously storing the images. These ultrasound data must be converted into a regular cubic representation before presentation in different 3D visualization modes. The creation of new ultrasound sections from the 3D block and also the surface shading of a structure of interest promise improvement in the diagnosis of congenital anomalies and dysmorphology. In addition, the possibility of volume calculation by 3D ultrasound has to be considered as a clear innovation. At present, almost all of the diagnoses illustrated by 3D ultrasound can be made by 2D ultrasound, and this will continue to be so in the foreseeable future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National Center for Fetal Medicine, Trondheim, N-7006, Norway.
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Blaas
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Eik-Nes
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Berg
mesh_terms: D019560:Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D011247:Pregnancy; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods*