Study of the automated breast tumor extraction using 3D ultrasound imaging: The usefulness of depth-width ratio and surface-volume index.
We applied quantitative parameters in three-dimensional ultrasonic images to distinguish benign from malignant breast tumors in 29 benign cases including 8 cysts and 21 fibroadenomas, and 32 malignant cases including 23 ductal carcinomas, 2 special types of carcinoma, 1 malignant lymphoma and 6 others. This procedure involved simultaneously acquiring video data from real-time ultrasonic images and recording the original position and orientation of the probe. Both sets of data were fed directly into a desktop computer. Fuzzy reasoning and relaxation techniques were use to automatedly extract the shape of the tumor and render it in three dimensions. We then evaluated three parameters: 2D-D/W, the so-called depth-width ratio measured in B-mode images: 3D-D/W; and the S/V index ([surface area](3)/36π [volume](2)) calculated from the three-dimensional volume extracted with this system. All three parameters were significantly higher in the malignant group (averages: 0.81, 0.64, and 11.3, respectively) than in the benign group (averages: 0.62, 0.47, and 3.78, respectively). All three parameters were thus found to be useful in differentiating the two groups.
Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Jichi Medical School, 3311-1, Yakushiji, Minamikawachi-machi, 329-0498, Kawachi-gun, Japan.
Kiyoka
K
Omoto
Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Jichi Medical School, 3311-1, Yakushiji, Minamikawachi-machi, 329-0498, Kawachi-gun, Japan.
Kouichi
K
Itoh
Mitani Sangyo Co., Ltd., 2-6 Asahidai, Tatsunokuchi-machi, 923-1211, Nomi-gun, Ishikawa-ken, Japan.
Xiangyong
X
Cheng
Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Jichi Medical School, 3311-1, Yakushiji, Minamikawachi-machi, 329-0498, Kawachi-gun, Japan.
Yi
Y
Wang
Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Jichi Medical School, 3311-1, Yakushiji, Minamikawachi-machi, 329-0498, Kawachi-gun, Japan.
Nobuyuki
N
Taniguchi
Department of Electrical Engineering, Shonan Institute of Technology, 251-8511, Fujisawa-shi, Kanagawa-ken, Japan.
Iwaki
I
Akiyama
Department of Surgery, Jichi Medical School, 3311-1, Yakushiji Minamikawachi-machi, 329-0498, Tochigi-ken, Japan.
Shin
S
Otsuka
Department of Surgery, Jichi Medical School, 3311-1, Yakushiji Minamikawachi-machi, 329-0498, Tochigi-ken, Japan.
Hirobumi
H
Mizunuma
Department of Surgery, Jichi Medical School, 3311-1, Yakushiji Minamikawachi-machi, 329-0498, Tochigi-ken, Japan.
Shigeto
S
Ogura
Department of Surgery, Jichi Medical School, 3311-1, Yakushiji Minamikawachi-machi, 329-0498, Tochigi-ken, Japan.
Kyotaro
K
Kanazawa
breast tumors; depth-width ratio (D/W); quantitative parameter; surface-volume index (S/V index); three-dimensional ultrasonic images