Initial Experience with an Internally Rotating Transthoracic Three‐Dimensional Echocardiographic Probe and Image Acquisition on a Conventional Echocardiogram Machine

Abstract

Three-dimensional echocardiography has required motorized external scanning devices that move a standard echo transducer to obtain data sets before reconstruction. These transducer holders are susceptible to axis alignment errors and transducer movement. The use of a three-dimensional workstation makes acquisition cumbersome. An internally rotating 5-MHz "omniplane" transthoracic transducer, specifically designed for three-dimensional echocardiography, and an integrated three-dimensional acquisition software package that allows single machine acquisitions were validated in 50 pediatric patients. Children were 1 day to 16 years old and had 22 different cardiac pathological conditions imaged. Ninety-eight of the 104 (94%) data sets collected were successfully reconstructed in three dimensions. Acquisitions took 3-6 minutes depending on the increment of internal rotation. Minimum total study time to set up and complete the acquisition was 12 minutes. The new probe and software makes three-dimensional acquisitions and reconstructions of consistently high quality, rapid, reliable, and user friendly.

3-D-Echokardiographie: neue Entwicklungen und Zukunftsperspektiven

“…Es wurde in den letzten Jahren zu einer leistungsfähigen, multimodalen 3-D-Workstation weiterentwickelt, die mittlerweile die weiteste Verbreitung im Rahmen der verfügbaren 3-D-Techniken gefunden hat. Dabei erfolgt die Akquisition eines 3-D-Datensatzes beim "sequential scanning" durch Veränderungen der Bildebene in der Weise, das diese parallel [1], fächerartig [4] oder um eine zentrale Achse rotierend [5,6] computerkontrolliert bewegt wird. Dabei ist die Datenakquisition entweder über modifizierte handelsübliche Ultraschallsonden und gleichzeitige Verwendung einer 3-D-Workstation oder mit einer bereits in das Ultraschallsystem integrierten automatisierten Akquisitionstechnik transthorakal und transösopha-geal möglich.…”

Three-dimensional echocardiography: lessons in overcoming time and space

“…Fig. 1.9) [15] [31]. Nonetheless, despite the practical advantages, the precordial system was not widely accepted because there were still too many artifacts due to the relatively long scanning time causing both displacement of the transducer and motion of the patient due to growing restlessness.…”

Rapid Three-Dimensional Echocardiography

“…The initial experience with a prototype handheld transducer with an internally rotating crystal array for multiplane image acquisition was reported recently. 7 The transthoracic echocardiography transducer is comparable in size to conventional probes and is stable during multitomographic data acquisition, because the rotating crystal array is not in direct contact with the body surface.Using the 180°continuous-rotation mode of the multiplane transducer, we developed a rapid 3D image-acquisition technique that addresses the issue of clinical practicality of 3D echocardiography.The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical feasibility and the precision and accuracy of the new rapid, 3D echocardiographic acquisition technique for measuring LV end-diastolic (LVEDV) and end-systolic (LVESV) volumes. Electron-beam computed tomography (EBCT) was used as the reference standard.…”

“…The initial experience with a prototype handheld transducer with an internally rotating crystal array for multiplane image acquisition was reported recently. 7 The transthoracic echocardiography transducer is comparable in size to conventional probes and is stable during multitomographic data acquisition, because the rotating crystal array is not in direct contact with the body surface.…”