Application of a semiautomatic boundary detection algorithm for the assessment of amniotic fluid quantity from ultrasound images

The aim of this study was to develop a computer-assisted method to evaluate amniotic fluid volume (AFV), This was done by automatically detecting the boundaries of the amniotic fluid portion in 2-D ultrasonographic images. Th e study population consisted of 36 low-risk patients that were selected at random from a healthy population undergoing routine pregnancy follow-up. Fo r each patient, images of the four quadrants of the uterus were digitized i nto a PC. The amniotic fluid portion in each ultrasonographic image was aut omatically detected, and its area was calculated, Its area was also manuall y determined by an expert physician (R, T,). The areas automatically detect ed by the algorithm were highly correlated with the areas manually delimite d by the expert: r(2) = 0.9722 (p < 0.01), The areas calculated by the prog ram provide a good measure for the areas determined by the expert and may, therefore, be used for calculating the actual amniotic fluid volume. (C) 19 99 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology.