Reconstruction and visualization of irregularly sampled three- and four-dimensional ultrasound data for cerebrovascular applications

Although recent studies have demonstrated the potential value of compounded data for improvement in signal-to-noise ratio and speckle contrast for three-dimensional (3-D) ultrasonography, clinical applications are lacking. We investigated the potential of six degrees-of-freedom (6-DOF) scanhead position and orientation measurement (POM) devices for registration of in vivo multiplanar, irregularly sampled ultrasound (US) images to a regular 3-D volume space. The results demonstrate that accurate spatial and temporal registration of four-dimensional (4-D) US data can be achieved using a 6-DOF scanhead tracking system. For reconstruction of arbitrary, irregularly sampled US data, we introduce a technique based upon a weighted, ellipsoid Gaussian convolution kernel. Volume renderings of 3-D and 4-D compounded in vivo US data are presented. The results, although restricted to the field of cerebrovascular disease, will be of value to other applications of 3-D sonography, particularly those in which compounding of data through irregular sampling may provide superior information on tissue or vessel structure. (C) 2000 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology.