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Application of free‐hand three‐dimensional echocardiography in the evaluation of fetal cardiac ejection fraction: a preliminary study
Author(s) -
EshBroder E.,
Ushakov F. B.,
Imbar T.,
Yagel S.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.202
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1469-0705
pISSN - 0960-7692
DOI - 10.1002/uog.1059
Subject(s) - medicine , ventricle , ejection fraction , fetal echocardiography , cardiology , fetus , cardiac ventricle , gestational age , cardiac function curve , diastole , left ventricles , gestation , end diastolic volume , stroke volume , pregnancy , heart failure , prenatal diagnosis , blood pressure , biology , genetics
Abstract Objective To investigate the feasibility of using free‐hand three‐dimensional (3D) echocardiography to evaluate fetal cardiac function. Methods 3D cardiac data were collected during screening examinations for 37 normal fetuses with gestational ages of between 16 and 26 weeks. Processing of the 3D volumes included separation of the end‐diastolic and end‐systolic slices, segmentation of right and left ventricles, measurement of end‐diastolic and end‐systolic volumes, and calculation of the ejection fraction (EF) for each ventricle. In 21 fetuses at 21–24 weeks, right and left ventricle volumes and EF were compared. Results Twenty‐five cases were appropriate for final statistical analysis. The volume of the ventricles increased with gestational age and estimated fetal weight. There was no significant trend in the difference between the volumes and EF of the right and left ventricles in the 21–24‐week subgroup. The mean right and left ventricular EF were 54 ± 11.2% and 57.5 ± 14.6%, respectively. The mean combined EF of ventricles during gestation was 55.1 ± 10.7% and seemed to remain constant during the gestational ages studied. Conclusions 3D echocardiography can provide estimates of ventricular volume and function and may in future be used for evaluation of fetuses with congenital heart disease and cardiac dysfunction. Copyright © 2004 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.