Three-Dimensional Reconstruction and Navigation Systems in Endoscopic Ultrasound Procedures: A Comprehensive Review

Three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of ultrasound (US) images represents a novel advancement that has been extensively explored over the past three decades. This technique enables endoscopists to perform more detailed and enhanced visualizations of anatomical structures, which is not feasible using traditional ultrasound methods. The reconstructed images also facilitate navigation during endoscopy-guided procedures, such as fine-needle aspiration. Furthermore, augmented reality (AR) algorithms can overlay the reconstructed images with real-time anatomical images, thereby enhancing clinician performance during these procedures. Current evidence suggests that 3D ultrasound reconstruction has already been widely implemented in various clinical imaging studies. However, its application for generating procedural guidance and augmented reality overlays remains in the early research stages and has not yet achieved widespread adoption. Existing pre-clinical evidence suggests that 3D reconstruction has significant potential to enhance clinician performance in various ultrasound-guided procedures.