A 3D Visualization Method for Quantitative Evaluation of Knee Cartilage Lesions Based on High-Frequency Ultrasound

Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) is a technique that extracts tissue features from radiofrequency (RF) signals or envelope data. It can reflect cartilage surface and depth information related to osteoarthritis (OA), such as proteoglycans (PG) content, shallow cartilage cell spacing, and cartilage thickness. However, the QUS results of current relevant studies lack detailed information and poor visualization, which is not conducive to the accurate diagnosis of cartilage injury by clinicians. A 3D visualization method for quantitative evaluation of knee cartilage lesions based on high-frequency ultrasound was developed. C-Scan was performed on human advanced knee arthritis specimens using a 30MHz single-element ultrasonic probe. Then, QUS results were calculated and the 3D ultrasonic model was established. Finally, the results of QUS are rendered by color on the upper surface of the 3D ultrasonic model. According to the results, the method can distinguish the cartilage injury intuitively and effectively.