Three-Dimensional Transthoracic Echocardiography for Semiautomated Analysis of the Tricuspid Annulus: Validation and Normal Values.

Background: The expansion of tricuspid valve (TV) interventions has underscored the need for accurate and reproducible three-dimensional (3D) transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE) tools for evaluating the tricuspid annulus and for 3D normal values of this structure. The aims of this study were to develop new semi-automated software for 3D TTE analysis of the tricuspid annulus, compare its accuracy and reproducibility against those of multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) reference, and determine normative values.

Methods: Three-dimensional TTE images of 113 patients with variable degrees of tricuspid regurgitation were analyzed using the new semiautomated software and conventional MPR methodology (as the reference standard), each by three independent readers.

Multifield-graphs: an approach to visualizing correlations in multifield scalar data.

We present an approach to visualizing correlations in 3D multifield scalar data. The core of our approach is the computation of correlation fields, which are scalar fields containing the local correlations of subsets of the multiple fields. While the visualization of the correlation fields can be done using standard 3D volume visualization techniques, their huge number makes selection and handling a challenge.