Volumetric assessment of carotid artery bifurcation using freehand-acquired, compound 3D ultrasound

The aim of this study was to establish the reproducibility of sequential th ree-dimensional (3D) ultrasound reconstructions of an identified segment of the carotid artery bifurcation in asymptomatic subjects. A freehand acquis ition, compound reconstruction, 3D ultrasound system was used on three occa sions, over a period of 1 year. The lumen of the vessel was reconstructed t o provide a volume measurement and a rotatable 3D structure representation that could be examined for geometrical correspondence. The four subjects di ffered significantly in the visualized 3D geometry of the vessel bifurcatio n. There was good correspondence in the sequential reconstructions for each individual in both the 3D geometry and in the measured lumen volume, with an overall coefficient of variation of 5% and no evidence of deterioration in correlation with time.