Validation of a built-in software in automatically reconstructing the tomographic images of the levator ani muscle.

Introduction And Hypothesis: Transperineal ultrasound (TPUS) is an effective tool for evaluating the integrity of the levator ani muscle (LAM). Several operating steps are required to obtain the standard multi-slice image of the LAM, which is experience dependent and time consuming. This study was aimed at evaluating the feasibility and reproducibility of the built-in software, Smart-pelvic™, in reconstructing standard tomographic images of LAM from 3D/4D TPUS volumes.

Methods: This study was conducted at a tertiary teaching hospital, enrolling women who underwent TPUS. Tomographic images of the LAM were automatically reconstructed by Smart-pelvic and rated by two experienced observers as standard or nonstandard. The anteroposterior diameter (APD) of the levator hiatus was also measured on the mid-sagittal plane of the automatically and manually reconstructed images. The APD measurements of each approach were compared using Bland-Altman plots, and interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to evaluate intra- and inter-observer reproducibility. Meanwhile, the time taken for the reconstruction process of both methods was also recorded.

Results: The ultrasound volume of a total of 104 patients were included in this study. Using Smart-pelvic, the overall success rate of the tomographic image reconstruction was 98%. Regarding measurements of APD, the ICC between the automatic and manual reconstruction methods was 0.99 (0.98, 0.99). The average time taken for reconstruction per case was 2.65 ± 0.52 s and 22.08 ± 3.45 s, respectively.

Conclusions: Using Smart-pelvic to reconstruct tomographic images of LAM is feasible, and it can promote TPUS by reducing operator dependence and improving examination efficiency in a clinical setting.