Open AccessVolume determinations using computed tomography
Author(s) -
Richard S. Breiman,
J W Beck,
Melvyn Korobkin,
Robb W. Glenny,
O E Akwari,
DK Heaston,
A. D. A. Moore,
Panol C. Ram
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
american journal of roentgenology
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.294
H-Index - 196
eISSN - 1546-3141
pISSN - 0361-803X
DOI - 10.2214/ajr.138.2.329
Subject(s) - medicine , nuclear medicine , computed tomography , volume (thermodynamics) , in vivo , tomography , displacement (psychology) , biomedical engineering , radiology , physics , psychology , microbiology and biotechnology , quantum mechanics , biology , psychotherapist
Computed tomography potentially offers the most accurate noninvasive means of estimating in vivo volumes. Contiguous 1-cm-thick CT scans were obtained through phantoms, dog kidneys in vivo, and human spleens before splenectomy. Cross-sectional areas were calculated for each individual scan and volumes then determined with each of four mathematical integration techniques. Volume estimations were compared to volumes determined by water displacement. The simplest, most practical means of calculating volumes, using the summation-of-areas technique with scans obtained at 2 cm intervals, was similar in accuracy to more complex methods. The mean percentage error of volume calculations using the sum-of-areas technique was 4.95% for five immobile phantoms, 3.86% for eight dog kidneys, 3.59% for eight human spleens in vivo at 1 cm scan spacing, and 3.65% for the same human spleens at 2 cm scan spacings. Difficulties in visual recognition and manual tracking of object boundaries seem to be more significant sources of error than patient-related factors.