Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 9, Issue 1 1-8, Copyright © 1990 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Quantification of neonatal cerebral ventricular volume by real-time ultrasonography. Derivation and in vitro confirmation of a mathematical model
B. S. Brann 4th, C. Wofsy, J. Wicks and J. Brayer
Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque 87131.
The derivation and in vitro confirmation of a method for the calculation of
cerebral ventricular volume determined by cranial ultrasonography is
described. The derivation depends on use of the cylindrical coordinate
method. Confirmation was performed by construction of ultrasound phantoms
from latex balloons embedded in a talc/gelatin matrix. Seventeen phantoms
of volumes ranging from 10 to 60 mL were measured. The known volume was
then compared to the calculated volume by linear regression analysis. The
regression analysis indicated a close correlation between the actual volume
of the phantoms and the calculated volume with r = 0.96. Various sources of
error in the method are discussed. Our results indicate that the
cylindrical coordinate mathematical model when applied to cranial
ultrasonography images accurately measures cerebral ventricular volumes.
