Imaging of intracranial aneurysm by three-dimensional contrast enhanced duplex sonography-two case reports.
We report two cases of intracranial aneurysms to give an impression of the use of three-dimensional (3-D) transcranial duplex sonography in combination with the application of a transpulmonary stable contrast agent. Data acquisition was performed with a free-hand scanning of the transducer (2 MHz) and a prototype of a new magnetic sensor system to track the spatial orientation of the ultrasound probe while scanning the volume of interest. The 3-D data were stored and afterwards 3-D reconstructions performed. Three-dimensional transcranial color duplex system with power Doppler mode showed an exact spatial orientation of the intracranial arteries. The three-dimensional system lets the reader retrospectively choose the section plane through the 3-D data set, and the reconstructions through the data set allowed us to localize aneurysms in both cases. The increased freedom of movement of the transducer allows the sonographer to maintain transducer contact with the skin, while offering the freedom to move the transducer as needed to remain on the acoustic window. Copyright 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.