Introduction
摘要
In the last few decades, several techniques have been developed for the acquisition of medical images, such as magnetic resonance (MR), ultrasonography (US), elastography, positron emission tomography (PET), and computed tomography (CT), supporting physicians in diagnosing, monitoring, and treating patient diseases. US imaging is widespread among these methodologies for its properties and advantages over other imaging modalities, such as non-invasiveness, low cost, portability, and real-time acquisition. US acquisition applies high-frequency (1–20 MHz) sound waves and a pulse-echo approach with a brightness-mode (B-mode) display to generate images of soft tissues, allowing physicians to identify anatomical structures such as internal organs, muscles, and blood vessels. US acquisition is widespread across multiple medical specialities, such as diagnosis, surgery, and emergency medicine, and is applied to different anatomical districts, e.g., cardiac, musculoskeletal, abdominal, and obstetric. US probes acquire 2D/3D images and 2D videos. In particular, 2D US videos allow the physician to characterise and analyse anatomical parts that dynamically change or move over time (e.g., heart valve), while 3D images provide a volumetric view of the anatomical part to improve its visualisation and the related diagnosis.