A novel ultrasound based approach for lesion segmentation and its applications in gynecological laparoscopic surgery

Abstract

Laparoscopic ultrasound (LUS) has been widely utilized as a surgical aide in general, urological, and gynecological applications. Our study summarizes the clinical applications of laparoscopic ultrasonography in laparoscopic gynecologic surgery. Retrospective analyses were performed on 42 women subjects using laparoscopic surgery during laparoscopic extirpation and excision of gynecological tumors in our hospital from August 2011 to August 2013. Specifically, the Esaote 7.5 × 10 MHz laparoscopic transducer was used to detect small residual lesions, as well as to assess, locate and guide in removing the lesions during laparoscopic operations. The findings of LUS were compared with those of preoperative trans-vaginal ultrasound, postoperative, and pathohistological examinations. In addition, a novel method for lesion segmentation was proposed in order to facilitate the laparoscopic gynecologic surgery. In our experiment, laparoscopic operation was performed using a higher frequency and more close to pelvic organs via laparoscopic access. LUS facilitates the ability of gynaecologists to find small residual lesions under laparoscopic visualization and their accurate diagnosis. LUS also helps to locate residual lesions precisely and provides guidance for the removal of residual tumor and eliminate its recurrence effectively. Our experiment provides a safer and more valuable assistance for clinical applications in laparoscopic gynecological surgery that are superior to trans-abdominal ultrasound and trans-vaginal ultrasound.

The Use of intra-operative Ultrasound in Gynecological Surgery: a Review

“…However, the study did not identify improvement in diagnostic accuracy for borderline or malignant lesions as there were too few of these cases to achieve statistical power [67]. Gong et al found LUS to be very beneficial in lesion segmentation in benign gynecology cases, highlighting the major benefit to be image representation beyond tissues boundaries [68]. However, while the 42 women in the study were benign, the obvious potential to extrapolate into the gynecological oncology setting is clear, although further evidence is needed.…”