3-D ultrasound for the evaluation of malignant disease

In the last few years there has been increasing interest in the development of 3-D display in medical imaging techniques. 3-D imaging is capable of enhancing the anatomic information of the images. This technique facilitates the localization of normal and pathologic structures and the understanding of spatial relationships. Computer reconstructed 3-D VIews of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have improved image interpretation by clinicians especially in reconstructive and orthopaedic surgery. Although the advantageous features of 3-D display are well recognized for radiologic imaging methods, 3-D data acquisition in ultrasonography has not yet found broad clinical acceptance. This has been mainly due to the lack of hardware appropriate for clinical use and the time required for data processing of high resolution 3-D images. However, recently some experimental solutions