Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 15, Issue 2 107-113, Copyright © 1996 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Transvaginal sonographic orientation detection system using ceramic gyroscopes
N. Shinozuka, Y. Oie, Y. Yamakoshi and Y. Taketani
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Use of three-dimensional ultrasonograms in daily clinical medicine requires
the development of data accumulation techniques and image reconstruction
techniques . We describe an image position and orientation detection
technique using small piezoelectric vibratory gyroscopes. Such gyroscopes,
of the same type that is used in an automobile navigation system, produce
angular velocity by Coriolis force. After attaching three gyroscopes to an
ordinary transvaginal probe, we attempted to detect image orientation to
assist transvaginal scanning and to reconstruct three-dimensional
projection images. Three-dimensional images were reconstructed by simple
white and black inversion thresholding technique. Using free hand
transvaginal scanning, the direction of the transvaginal ultrasound beam
was displayed with B-mode ultrasonography. Using a personal computer,
three-dimensional images of follicles and fetuses were successfully
reconstructed within a few minutes. Our system provides easy understanding
of transvaginal sonographic images and potentially might allow ordinary
ultrasound machines to handle three-dimensional images in a day-to-day
clinical practice.
