REAL-TIME QUASI-3-DIMENSIONAL VIEWING IN SONOGRAPHY, WITH CONVENTIONAL, GRAY-SCALE VOLUME IMAGING

Real-time three-dimensional views of the fetus can be obtained with minor modification to conventional scanners. The modification consists of placing a divergent lens in the out-of-scan plane of the transducer to generate a beam which insonates a volume rather than a slice of tissue. Scanning is performed using oblique angles of incidence to provide total reflection conditions. Echoes are then received only from anterior surfaces, automatically generating the three-dimensional views. Intriguing portrayal of fetal detail can be obtained with this form of imaging which is likely to expand the clinical utility of sonographic examinations.