Conventional two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound imaging is a powerful diagnostic tool in the hands of an experienced user, yet 2D ultrasound remains clinically underutilized and inherently incomplete, with output being very operator dependent. Volumetric ultrasound systems can more fully capture a three-dimensional (3D) region of interest, but current 3D systems require specialized transducers, are prohibitively expensive for many clinical departments, and do not register image orientation with respect to the patient; these systems are designed to provide improved workflow rather than operator independence. This work investigates whether it is possible to add volumetric 3D imaging capability to existing 2D ultrasound systems at minimal cost, providing a practical means of reducing operator dependence in ultrasound. In this paper, we present a low-cost method to make 2D ultrasound systems capable of quality volumetric image acquisition: we present the general system design and image acquisition method, including the use of a probe-mounted orientation sensor, a simple probe fixture prototype, and an offline volume reconstruction technique. We demonstrate initial results of the method, implemented using a Verasonics Vantage research scanner.

中文翻译：

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通过二维系统增强的低成本体积超声：设计和原型

传统的二维 (2D) 超声成像是经验丰富的用户手中的强大诊断工具，但 2D 超声在临床上仍未得到充分利用且本质上是不完整的，其输出非常依赖于操作员。体积超声系统可以更完整地捕获感兴趣的 3D (3D) 区域，但当前的 3D 系统需要专门的换能器，对于许多临床科室而言价格昂贵，并且无法记录与患者相关的图像方向；这些系统旨在提供改进的工作流程而不是操作员独立性。这项工作调查是否有可能以最低的成本将体积 3D 成像功能添加到现有的 2D 超声系统中，从而提供一种减少操作员对超声的依赖的实用方法。在本文中，我们提出了一种使二维超声系统能够进行高质量体积图像采集的低成本方法：我们提出了通用的系统设计和图像采集方法，包括使用安装在探头上的定向传感器、简单的探头夹具原型和离线体积重建技术。我们展示了使用 Verasonics Vantage 研究扫描仪实现的方法的初步结果。