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Author Spotlight: Developing a Bedside Protocol for Kidney and Genitourinary Ultrasonography
Published on: June 21, 2024
Reliability of InVesalius in kidney stone volume assessment: Correlation with 3D slicer and ellipsoid calculations
Mehmet Özen1, İlayda Özden Yıldırım1, Mustafa Koray Kırdağ1
1Department of Urology, Samsun Training and Research Hospital, Turkey.
Introduction:
Accurate assessment of kidney stone burden is essential for clinical decision-making. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of "InVesalius," an open-source 3D imaging software, for stone volume measurement and compare its performance with 3D Slicer software and the traditional ellipsoid formula.
Methods:
In this prospective study, 65 patients with kidney stones confirmed by non-contrast enhanced computed tomography were enrolled between January and April 2025. Stone volumes were calculated using "InVesalius," "3D Slicer" (Kidney Stone Calculator extension), and the ellipsoid formula. Correlations between methods were assessed with Spearman's rank-order correlation.
Results:
"InVesalius" and "3D Slicer" showed highly comparable results (r = 0.99, p < 0.001), both consistently yielding slightly larger volumes than the ellipsoid formula. All methods demonstrated strong correlations, though discrepancies were most evident between the ellipsoid formula and the 3D-based methods.
Conclusions:
"InVesalius" provides reliable kidney stone volume measurements comparable to 3D Slicer and superior to the ellipsoid formula. Its free availability, DICOM compatibility, and ease of use make it particularly valuable in clinical and research environments lacking access to commercial imaging tools.
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