Three-dimensional ultrasound imaging of brain for neurosurgery

The ultrasound study group at the Departments of Neurosurgery and Electrical Engineering, University of Oulu, has worked since 1980 on the development of ultrasound holographic B (UHB) imaging for clinical use. It has produced images of human brain based on synthetic focusing of data obtained by wide-angle nonfocused transducers. At the same time, clinical ultrasound B-imaging has been applied to brain and spinal cord surgery. On the basis of laboratory and clinical investigations, some of the possibilities of three dimensional ultrasound imaging in neurosurgery are presented. Particularly the role of supplementary three-dimensional ultrasound imaging data in computer-controlled brain surgery is stressed.