Structure deformation of 3D liver blood vessel using ultrasound varied with posture and breathing

Abstract

In this study, we verified the reproducibility of vascular network structure of liver and to quantitatively evaluate the deformation in entire or local organ according to the body posture and respiratory state. We used an echography (Philips EPIQ Elite) equipped with a 3D probe to acquire multiple ultrasonic volumes, which include portal vein and hepatic vein from middle stem to right lobe, in various positions and respiratory states for six subjects. Spatial registration between multiple vascular networks was performed to derive the mean distance between common bifurcations using various body postures and respiratory states. As the result, the mean distance between common bifurcations tended to be smaller in the same conditions than in a different condition. We also confirmed the significant variation by age of the subject. This study suggested the possibility of evaluating organ properties by structural analysis of three-dimensional vascular networks.