title: Three-dimensional volume measurement of the lateral ventricles in preterm and term infants: evaluation of a standardised computer-assisted method in vivo.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Assessment of ventricular size still represents a challenge for two-dimensional cranial sonography.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Three-dimensional (3D) volume acquisition and volume quantification are easily accomplished by an automatic scanning system without additional examination time. The development of a computer-assisted ultrasonic device will offer new perspectives for the quantification of ventricular volume.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 250 healthy neonates between 27 and 41 weeks' gestation and infants up to 6 months of age without neurological pathology were examined with 3D cranial ultrasound (US). The volume of both lateral ventricles and the third ventricle were separately quantified and summated for the calculation of ventricular volume. The correlation between body weight (BW), head circumference (HC), gestational age (GA) and ventricular volume was statistically analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a statistically significant correlation between GA, BW, HC and ventricular volume. Normal values for premature and mature infants were established.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  3D US appears to be an accurate imaging modality for the exact calculation of ventricular volume and should, therefore, be incorporated into the cranial sonographic assessment of ventricular size in infants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology and Intensive Care Unit, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Rosalia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Csutak
authors.forename: Lukas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Unterassinger
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rohrmeister
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weninger
authors.forename: Klara A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Vergesslich
mesh_terms: D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D007229:Infant Welfare; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D020547:Lateral Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology*; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial