title: Real-time virtual sonography visualization and its clinical application in biliopancreatic disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the usefulness of real-time virtual sonography (RVS) in biliary and pancreatic diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study included 15 patients with biliary and pancreatic diseases. RVS can be used to observe an ultrasound image in real time by merging the ultrasound image with a multiplanar reconstruction computed tomography (CT) image, using pre-scanned CT volume data. The ultrasound used was EUB-8500 with a convex probe EUP-C514. The RVS images were evaluated based on 3 levels, namely, excellent, good and poor, by the displacement in position.
  
  
  RESULTS
  By combining the objectivity of CT with free scanning using RVS, it was possible to easily interpret the relationship between lesions and the surrounding organs as well as the position of vascular structures. The resulting evaluation levels of the RVS images were 12 excellent (pancreatic cancer, bile duct cancer, cholecystolithiasis and cholangiocellular carcinoma) and 3 good (pancreatic cancer and gallbladder cancer). Compared with conventional B-mode ultrasonography and CT, RVS images achieved a rate of 80% superior visualization and 20% better visualization.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RVS has potential usefulness in objective visualization and diagnosis in the field of biliary and pancreatic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Atsushi Sofuni, Takao Itoi, Fumihide Itokawa, Takayoshi Tsuchiya, Toshio Kurihara, Kentaro Ishii, Syujiro Tsuji, Nobuhito Ikeuchi, Reina Tanaka, Junko Umeda, Ryosuke Tonozuka, Mitsuyoshi Honjo, Shuntaro Mukai, Fuminori Moriyasu, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo 160-0023, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sofuni
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Itoi
authors.forename: Fumihide
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Itokawa
authors.forename: Takayoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kurihara
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: Syujiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.forename: Nobuhito
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ikeuchi
authors.forename: Reina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Umeda
authors.forename: Ryosuke
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tonozuka
authors.forename: Mitsuyoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Honjo
authors.forename: Shuntaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mukai
authors.forename: Fuminori
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moriyasu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001660:Biliary Tract Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D064847:Multimodal Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography
keywords: Biliary and pancreatic disease; Computed tomography-multiplanar reconstruction image; Navigation; Real-time ultrasound image; Real-time virtual sonography