A comparison of 2D and 3D edge detectors in semi automated measurements of chamber volumes using 3D echocardiographic laboratory phantom images

Chamber volume measurement is fundamental for assessing many indices of cardiac function. 3D echocardiography offers great potential for accurate measurement, but many automated or semi-automated techniques suffer from acoustic noise and artefact, which can be reduced by suitable choice of edge detectors. We compared the effects of 2D and 3D first order derivative edge detectors with similar size on accuracy and repeatability in six volume measurement methods of 3D echo images of a laboratory balloon phantom. Overall accuracy compared with known volumes was better for 3D (-1.0 ml; -4.0 ml to 2.0 ml 95% CI; P=0.53) than 2D (-11.6 ml; -14.8 ml to -8.5 ml 95% CI; P<0.001). Repeatability was better for 3D (SD=0.9 ml) than 2D (SD=1.5 ml) with difference in coefficient of variation of 0.6 (P<0.001). 3D operators show potential for better performance with 3D echo images.