Published online Aug 6, 2019. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v7.i15.2003
Peer-review started: March 28, 2019
First decision: May 31, 2019
Revised: June 12, 2019
Accepted: July 3, 2019
Article in press: July 4, 2019
Published online: August 6, 2019
Processing time: 133 Days and 1.2 Hours
Heart defects are the most common congenital malformations in fetuses. Fetal cardiac structure and function abnormalities lead to changes in ventricular volume. As ventricular volume is an important index for evaluating fetal cardiovascular development, an effective and reliable method for measuring fetal ventricular volume and cardiac function is necessary for accurate ultrasonic diagnosis and effective clinical treatment. The new intelligent spatiotemporal image correlation (iSTIC) technology acquires high-resolution volumetric images. Numerous studies have focused on fetal heart function which have not been widely accepted. The iSTIC technique was used to measure right ventricular volume in 123 normal fetuses, and to evaluate right ventricular systolic function to provide a new method for more accurate and convenient evaluation of fetal heart function.
The iSTIC technique was used to provide a new method for more accurate and convenient evaluation of fetal heart function.
One hundred twenty-three healthy gravidas with singleton gestations who visited our hospital for prenatal ultrasonography between October 2014 and September 2015 were included in the study.
The women were asked to lie flat, and a fetal echo program was begun with transabdominal scanning using an X6-1 probe. Using a 3D/4D iSTIC technology model for a 4-chamber view of the fetal heart, the 3D/4D sampling frame location was adjusted and the sampling range assured 3D/4D volume data acquisition and the sampling frame included the entire fetal heart. The fetal heart rate was measured and recorded after completion of data acquisition.
The changes in normal fetal right ventricular end-diastolic volume, right ventricular end-systolic volume, right stroke volume, and right cardiac output with gestational age showed significant linear correlations. Right ejection fraction did not change as gestational age increased, was relatively constant throughout the entire pregnancy, and was not significantly correlated with gestational age.
iSTIC technology can be used for the quantitative measurement of fetal right ventricular volume and the evaluation of right ventricular systolic function.
iSTIC can generate real-time 3D images, only requires 2 s, and is the best method now. The direction of the future research is to improve the scanning time.