Ultrasound Cine Loop Standard Operating Procedure for Benign Thyroid Diseases—Evaluation of Non-Physician Application

Conventional ultrasound (US) is time-consuming, and results are subjected to high interobserver variability. In this study, the reliability of a novel thyroid US cine loop standard operating procedure (SOP) applied by non-physicians (Medical Technical Assistant, MTA) is investigated. Thirty-three consecutive patients (22 females, 11 males) were enrolled. Patients underwent conventional thyroid US performed by a nuclear medicine physician and additional MTA US cine loop according to a local SOP that includes transversal and sagittal cine loops covering the entire thyroid. The video sequences were transferred to the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) for second reading purposes. MTA US data were not considered for medical reports but for blinded second reading review of the PACS images. The results of conventional physician US reports and reviewed MTA US cine loops were compared regarding size determinations of the thyroid and its nodules, as well as Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data Systems (TIRADS) classification of all identified lesions. The results revealed very high concordance between conventional physician US and MTA US cine loop review for both size measurements and TIRADS classifications (r(s) = 0.84–0.99, p < 0.0001 each). Minor technical impairments were identified. The evaluated thyroid US cine loop SOP enables reliable second reading results and can be applied by non-physicians.

Web-Based GPU-Accelerated Application for Multiplanar Reconstructions from Conventional 2D Ultrasound

Purpose In ultrasound education there is a need for interactive web-based learning resources. The purpose of this project was to develop a web-based application that enables the generation and exploration of volumetric datasets from cine loops obtained with conventional 2D ultrasound. Materials and Methods JavaScript code for ultrasound video loading and the generation of volumetric datasets was created and merged with an existing web-based imaging viewer based on JavaScript and HTML5. The Web Graphics Library was utilized to enable hardware-accelerated image rendering. Results The result is a web application that works in most major browsers without any plug-ins. It allows users to load a conventional 2D ultrasound cine loop which can subsequently be manipulated with on-the-fly multiplanar reconstructions as in a Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) viewer. The application is freely accessible at (http://www.castlemountain.dk/atlas/index.php?page = mulrecon&mulreconPage = sonoviewer) where a demonstration of web-based sharing of generated cases can also be found. Conclusion The developed web-based application is unique in its ability to easily perform loading of one’s own ultrasound clips and conduct multiplanar reconstructions where interactive cases can be shared on the Internet.

A Primitive Survey on Ultrasonic Imaging-Oriented Segmentation Techniques for Detection of Fetal Cardiac Chambers

Recognition of presence of fetal cardiac chambers through ultrasonic Doppler imaging poses a huge challenge for the clinical community. The four-chamber view and outflow tracts are found to be a potential identity marker for presence of all heart chambers as well as current states of fetal heart. Given the cine loop ultrasonic imaging sequences, computer-aided diagnostic tools have been developed to detect and measures the chambers through automated mode. Segmentation and region of interest identification process contribute significantly towards the presence of heart chamber and presence of abnormality. This study provides a primitive survey towards the ultrasonic imaging-oriented segmentation techniques for detection/recognition of all four fetal cardiac chambers. The challenges for the biomedical community were also reported.