3D ultrasound file reading and coordinate transformations.

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Image Processing
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Kretzfile format stores 3D ultrasound data from GE Voluson scanners using toroidal coordinates.
• Advanced image analysis libraries like ITK and scikit-image require Cartesian coordinates.
• Existing methods offer approximate coordinate transformations for Kretzfiles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop ITK transformations and utilities for converting Kretzfile data to Cartesian coordinates.
• To enable the use of advanced image processing libraries for 3D ultrasound data analysis.
• To facilitate novel research in clinical 3D ultrasound imaging.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of ITK-based coordinate transformation algorithms.
• Development of utility functions for Kretzfile data processing.
• Validation against previous coordinate transformation methods.

Main Results:

• Successful conversion of Kretzfile data to Cartesian coordinates using ITK.
• Provided a robust method for integrating 3D ultrasound data with standard image analysis tools.
• Demonstrated the utility of the developed tools for medical imaging research.

Conclusions:

• The developed ITK tools enable accurate conversion of 3D ultrasound Kretzfile data to Cartesian coordinates.
• This facilitates advanced image analysis and investigation of clinical 3D ultrasound data.
• Empowers medical imaging researchers with enhanced capabilities for 3D ultrasound studies.