Estimation of Inferior Vena Cava Size from Ultrasound Imaging in X-Plane

Ultrasound (US) scans of the inferior vena cava (IVC) provide useful information on the volume status of a patient. However, their investigation is user-dependent and prone to measurement errors. An important technical problem is the objective difficulty in studying a very compliant blood vessel like IVC, which makes large respirophasic movements and shows a complicated three-dimensional geometry. Using bi-dimensional (2D) B-mode views either in a long or short axis has improved the characterization of IVC dynamics compared to measurements along a single direction (M-mode). However, specific movements of the IVC can also challenge the information provided by these 2D sections. Thus, these two orthogonal views, provided by an US system in the X-plane, are integrated here using an innovative method. It is tested on simulated videos of the IVC by performing complicated movements, which are compensated by the new method, overcoming the biased measurements provided by 2D scans. The method is then applied on example experimental data.