Three-dimensional US and volumetric assessment of the prostate

The authors demonstrate a method for constructing three-dimensional (3D) images of the prostate based on standard two-dimensional ultrasonic (US) images. Transverse US images of the prostate in six patients (aged 61-83 years) and 10 water-filled balloon phantoms were recorded at video rates by manually withdrawing a biplane transrectal probe at a constant speed. Data acquisition time of the images was less than a minute. Typically, 50-70 scans of 0.2-0.5-mm-thick cross sections were acquired. Postprocessing of these data enabled lifelike 3D visualization of the gland and accurate measurement of its volume.