THREE-DIMENSIONAL INTRADUCTAL BILIARY ULTRASGNGGRAPHY USING A THREE-DIMENSIGNAL ULTRASGNIC PRGPE IMAGING SYSTEM

Abstract

The application and clinical efficacy of three-dimensional intraductal ultrasonography, (3D-IDUS)using a three-dimensional ultrasonic probe imaging system for biliary diseaseswas assessed. For the 3D-IDUS, 12MHz or 20MHz frequency ultrasonic probes wereapplied, both radial and linear images being obtained at one scanning operation in-realtime. Three-dimensional observation was thus made possible using the tvvo image typesin combination. Sixteen patients with percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage wereexamined 3D-IDUS, and diagnoses could be made in all cases about tumor extension, andrelations to blood vessels and surrounding organs, as well as visualization of the course ofvessels. In 3 cases with distal bile duct carcinoma, tumor volumes could be measured.Using the 3D-IDUS system, advances in the capacity of this approach far diagnosticpurposes can be expected.