A PC-based ultrasonic data acquisition system for computer-aided prosthetic socket design.

A PC-based ultrasound data acquisition system has been developed which uses compound scanning techniques to image a residual limb in a water tank. From the received ultrasonic eco data, the system produces cross-sectional images and reconstructs a three-dimensional (3-D) model of the limb. A commercial software for computer-aided prosthetic socket design was modified so that it can display both the external shape and cross-sectional image of the limb and allow the prosthetist to perform socket design with the help of a visualization of the limb's internal structure. The image resolution and measurement accuracy of the system were tested using a wire phantom and a contrast tissue mimicking phantom, respectively. Preliminary results from amputee patients are presented and the sources of measurement error are discussed.