ABSTRACT
With 3D or volume ultrasound, a volume (rather than a slice) of ultrasound data is acquired and stored. The stored data can be reformatted and analyzed in numerous ways; navigation through the saved volume can demonstrate innumerable arbitrary planes. In the multiplanar display, three perpendicular planes are displayed simultaneously. Correlation between these three planes is
used to confirm a given desired plane, such as the midsagittal or mid-coronal plane. In addition, all or part of the saved volume can be processed into a rendered image that can be displayed alone or in correlation with the multiplanar display. Although these expanded applications are relatively new in the field of sonography, there seems to be little doubt that these tools will become a routine part of pelvic sonography. Among the advantages of 3DUS in gynecology compared with conventional two-dimensional ultrasound (2DUS) are (i) the ability to digitally store ultrasound volume data which can be retrieved and studied at a later time either on-site or remotely, thus facilitating consultation and networking; (ii) the ability to interact with the volume data and obtain any plane (including those not obtainable with 2DUS) through the uterus, adnexa, and pelvic floor, even after the patient is no longer present; (iii) simultaneous correlation of three orthogonal planes in the multiplanar display, along with rendered images, as desired; (iv) accurate volume calculations, even of irregular structures such as the endometrium.
