A high-resolution 3D ultrasonic system for rapid evaluation of the anterior and posterior segment.
OBJECTIVE
Traditional ultrasound imaging systems for ophthalmology employ slow, mechanical scanning of a single-element ultrasound transducer. The goal was to demonstrate rapid examination of the anterior and posterior segment with a three-dimensional (3D) commercial ultrasound system incorporating high-resolution linear probe arrays.


METHODS
The 3D images of the porcine eye were generated in approximately 10 seconds by scanning one of two commercial linear arrays (25- and 50-MHz). Healthy enucleated pig eyes were compared with those with induced injury or placement of a foreign material (eg, metal). Rapid, volumetric imaging was also demonstrated in one human eye in vivo.


RESULTS
The 50-MHz probe provided exquisite volumetric images of the anterior segment at a depth up to 15 mm and axial resolution of 30 μm. The 25-MHz probe provided a larger field of view (lateral X depth: 20 × 30 mm), sufficient for capturing the entire anterior and posterior segments of the pig eye, at a resolution of 60 μm. A 50-MHz scan through the human eyelid illustrated detailed structures of the Meibomian glands, cilia, cornea, and anterior segment back to the posterior capsule.


CONCLUSIONS
The 3D system with its high-frequency ultrasound arrays, fast data acquisition, and volume rendering capability shows promise for investigating anterior and posterior structures of the eye.
Department of Radiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA. gpeyman1@yahoo.com
Gholam A
GA
Peyman
Charles P
CP
Ingram
Leonardo G
LG
Montilla
Russell S
RS
Witte
D000818:Animals; D000869:Anterior Eye Segment / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003941:Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005131:Eye Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D057972:Posterior Eye Segment / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013552:Swine; D014159:Transducers; D014463:Ultrasonography