Three-dimensional HDlive-rendered images of intrauterine abnormalities during pregnancy

• DOI: 10.1007/s10396-012-0393-4
• Publication Date: 2012-08-23T07:35:08Z
• Authors: Toshiyuki Hata; Chiaki Tenkumo; Miki Sato; Kenji Kanenishi; Mari Ishimura
• Keywords: 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine

‘HDlive’ is a new surface render mode, and ‘‘its system uses an adjustable light source, giving the operator the opportunity to create lighting and shadowing effects and thereby increasing depth perception’’ [1]. HDlive with the use of new skin-like colors provides examiners with a natural and anatomically realistic appearance of the embryo and fetus. We present our experience of intrauterine abnormalities during pregnancy reconstructed employing the three-dimensional (3D) HDlive render mode. A total of three intrauterine abnormalities (one case each of umbilical cord prolapse through the uterine synechia, placental shelf, and umbilical cord cyst) at 18–26 weeks’ gestation were studied using transabdominal 3D sonography with the HDlive render mode (VOLUSON E8, General Electric Medical Systems, Zipf, Austria). Using a curved array transabdominal transducer (4–8.5 MHz), the sweep took only a few seconds at an angle of 70 –85 . The data set was stored on a 700-Mbyte CD-R, and could be retrieved for further analysis. All volume data for each subject were examined, and optimal images were selected for further analysis. 3D reconstruction was carried out using the HDlive rendering algorithm. The light source was adjusted until the structures of interest were visualized for the operator to create favorable lighting and shadowing effects. All HDlive sonographic examinations were performed by two examiners (T.H. and M.I.). All three cases reported here have been reported previously by our group, using different rendering techniques for 3D examination of the intrauterine abnormality [2–4]. 3D HDlive provided new realistic sensations for the diagnosis of umbilical cord prolapse through