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F121The routine use of the three vessels and trachea (‘3VT’) view in fetal echocardiography
Author(s) -
Yagel S.
Publication year - 2000
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 - 10.1046/j.1469-0705.2000.00015-1-120.x
Subject(s) - medicine , aortic arch , ductus arteriosus , superior vena cava , great vessels , fetal echocardiography , pulmonary artery , fetus , cardiology , inferior vena cava , aorta , mediastinum , fetal heart , double aortic arch , radiology , anatomy , prenatal diagnosis , pregnancy , genetics , biology
Detailed fetal echocardiography potentially detects most congenital heart defects. In the last decade, screening programs have been established in numerous institutions in an attempt to rule out fetal heart anomalies in all pregnancies. However, fetal heart examination is time‐consuming and requires special skills. The ‘four chamber view’ and identification of ventricular outflow tracks became standard tests in screening programs. Examination of the aortic arch and superior vena cava, the location of the trachea in the mediastinum, the size of the aortic arch, main pulmonary artery, and the ductus arteriousus, and the direction of flow in these vessels, demands special attention and increases significantly the time required for routine fetal heart examinations. We introduced the identification of the main pulmonary artery, ductus arteriosus, aortic arch, transverse section of the superior vena cava, and transverse section of the trachea into our routine fetal heart study. This ‘three vessel view’ is obtained by sliding the transducer upward from the four‐chamber plane toward the fetal upper mediastimun. In more than 2500 cases this maneuver significantly reduced the time required to examine these structures. Moreover, this approach facilitated detection of pathologies such as abnormal vessel size, abnormal vessel alignment or arrangement, and was shown to be superior in detecting anomalies such as persistent left superior vena cava, right aortic arch, vascular ring, and others. We believe that this view should be introduced into the routine examination of the fetal heart.