[Trans-thoracic 3D echocardiography reconstruction for left ventricular volume determination]

2D-echocardiography is a safe and inexpensive method for accurate left ventricular volume quantification. However, accuracy of measurements is limited by the requirement of geometric assumptions and volume computation algorithms. Reproducibility is diminished by erroneous image plane positioning, which is due to the necessity of standardized reference images. The degree of variation can influence clinical decision making. 3D-echocardiography has overcome those problems. Volume quantitation is performed without the need of geometric assumptions, computation algorithms or reference images. The shape of a ventricle is defined by acquired data, not by calculated data. Since the recent development of sophisticated hardware- and software techniques the method can be utilized under clinical circumstances. For data acquisition tomographic planes are acquired either in a random or in a sequential order. For random acquisition the transducer is positioned at various acoustic windows at the thoracic wall and spatial orientation of the corresponding plane is localized by a spark gap device. By this way various, non-parallel cross-sectional images of the left ventricle are acquired. The spatial position of the planes is displayed by lines in a parasternal longitudinal view, each representing a "line of intersection". When tomographic planes are acquired in a sequential manner, mostly rotational scanning is utilized. Here, multiple apical views of the left ventricle are acquired during ECG- and respiration gated rotation of the transducer over a span of 180 degrees.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)