Freehand Scanning for Precordial Data Acquisition in Three-Dimensional Echocardiography

Computer-based three-dimensional (3D) visualisation of the heart is an important step forward towards improved analysis of complex cardiac structures and reliable quantification of volumes. In the freehand scan technique, transducer movement and its spatial position is continously measured by an additional tracking device. Freehand scanning is more flexible and faster than the mechanically driven rotational transducer systems and is an upgrade possibility for most conventional imaging systems. Furthermore, freehand scanning can be applied to most patients since the data can be obtained from several precordial windows.