Antenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease by 3D ultrasonography using spatiotemporal image correlation with HDlive Flow and HDlive Flow silhouette rendering modes

This pictorial review describes the assessment of a great variety of types of congenital heart disease by three-dimensional ultrasonography with spatiotemporal image correlation using HDlive and the HDlive Flow silhouette rendering mode. These technologies provide fetal heart surface patterns by using a fixed virtual light source that propagates into the tissues, permitting a detailed reconstruction of the heart structures. In this scenario, ultrasound operators can freely select a better light source position to enhance the anatomical details of the fetal heart. HDlive and the HDlive Flow silhouette rendering mode improve depth perception and the resolution of anatomic cardiac details and blood vessel walls compared to standard two-dimensional ultrasonography.

Fetal cardiac function by mitral and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion using spatio-temporal image correlation M‐mode and left cardiac output in fetuses of pregestational diabetic mothers

Objective@#To assess the mitral and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursions (MAPSE and TAPSE, respectively) and cardiac output (CO) in fetuses of pregnant women with pregestational diabetes mellitus (DM) using spatio-temporal image correlation M-mode (STIC-M) and virtual organ computer-aided analysis (VOCAL). @*Methods@#This study was prospective and cross-sectional. It included 45 fetuses each from mothers with pregestational DM and healthy mothers, with gestation ages ranging from 20 to 36.6 weeks. The fetal cardiac volumes were obtained and analyzed by STIC and VOCAL methods. MAPSE and TAPSE were measured by STIC-M in the apical or basal fourchamber view. The values of the right (RV) and left ventricular (LV) CO were calculated by STIC and VOCAL. @*Results@#The median values of TAPSE were 6.1 and 6.2 mm in the diabetic and control groups (P<0.001), respectively. The median values of MAPSE were 4.6 mm in the fetuses of mothers with diabetes and 4.8 mm in fetuses of healthy mothers. The fetal LV CO (60.4 L/min vs. 71.1 L/min; P=0.033, respectively) and RV CO (65.2 vs. 70.1 L/min; P=0.026, respectively) were lower in the pregestational DM group than in the control group. A significant effect of pregestational DM was observed in all functional parameters after adjusting, with fetal heart rate as covariant. There was moderate significant positive correlation between MAPSE and LV CO (r=0.53; P=0.0001) and between TAPSE and RV CO (r=0.46; P=0.0001). @*Conclusion@#Significant difference in functional parameters (TAPSE, MAPSE and LV CO) obtained by STIC and VOCAL were observed in the fetuses of the pregestational DM group compared to those of the control group.

Fetal cardiac function by mitral and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion using spatio-temporal image correlation M‐mode and left cardiac output in fetuses of pregestational diabetic mothers

Objective@#To assess the mitral and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursions (MAPSE and TAPSE, respectively) and cardiac output (CO) in fetuses of pregnant women with pregestational diabetes mellitus (DM) using spatio-temporal image correlation M-mode (STIC-M) and virtual organ computer-aided analysis (VOCAL). @*Methods@#This study was prospective and cross-sectional. It included 45 fetuses each from mothers with pregestational DM and healthy mothers, with gestation ages ranging from 20 to 36.6 weeks. The fetal cardiac volumes were obtained and analyzed by STIC and VOCAL methods. MAPSE and TAPSE were measured by STIC-M in the apical or basal fourchamber view. The values of the right (RV) and left ventricular (LV) CO were calculated by STIC and VOCAL. @*Results@#The median values of TAPSE were 6.1 and 6.2 mm in the diabetic and control groups (P<0.001), respectively. The median values of MAPSE were 4.6 mm in the fetuses of mothers with diabetes and 4.8 mm in fetuses of healthy mothers. The fetal LV CO (60.4 L/min vs. 71.1 L/min; P=0.033, respectively) and RV CO (65.2 vs. 70.1 L/min; P=0.026, respectively) were lower in the pregestational DM group than in the control group. A significant effect of pregestational DM was observed in all functional parameters after adjusting, with fetal heart rate as covariant. There was moderate significant positive correlation between MAPSE and LV CO (r=0.53; P=0.0001) and between TAPSE and RV CO (r=0.46; P=0.0001). @*Conclusion@#Significant difference in functional parameters (TAPSE, MAPSE and LV CO) obtained by STIC and VOCAL were observed in the fetuses of the pregestational DM group compared to those of the control group.

Prenatal diagnosis of transposition of the great arteries: an updated review

Simple transposition of the great arteries (TGA) is a cyanotic heart disease that accounts for 5% to 7% of all congenital heart diseases. It is commonly underdiagnosed in utero, with prenatal detection rates of less than 50%. Simple TGA is characterized by ventriculoarterial discordance, atrioventricular concordance, and a parallel relationship of TGA. The prenatal diagnosis of TGA influences postnatal outcomes and therefore requires planned delivery and perinatal management. For these reasons, it is important to identify the key ultrasound markers of TGA to improve the prenatal diagnosis and consequently provide perinatal assistance. The presence of two vessels instead of three in the three-vessel tracheal view, a parallel course of TGA, and identification of the origin of each of TGA are the key markers for diagnosing TGA. In addition to the classical ultrasound signs, other two-dimensional ultrasound markers such as an abnormal right convexity of the aorta, an I-shaped aorta, and the "boomerang sign" may also be used to diagnose TGA in the prenatal period. When accessible, an automatic approach using four-dimensional technologies such as spatio-temporal image correlation and sonographically-based volume computer-aided analysis may improve the prenatal diagnosis of TGA. This study aimed to review the ultrasound markers that can be used in the antenatal diagnosis of TGA, with a focus on the tools used by ultrasonographers, the obstetric and fetal medicine team, and perinatal cardiologists to improve the diagnosis of this condition.

The impact of first-trimester intrauterine hematoma on adverse perinatal outcomes

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the presence of an intrauterine hematoma (IUH) on an early pregnancy ultrasound scan showing a live fetus was related to adverse perinatal outcomes. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study to evaluate pregnant women who underwent an ultrasound examination in early pregnancy, between 6 weeks 0 days and 10 weeks 6 days. We compared the perinatal outcomes between women with and without firsttrimester IUH using the Mann-Whitney and Fisher exact tests. Furthermore, we performed a stepwise regression analysis to identify possible predictors of miscarriage among maternal characteristics, ultrasound parameters, and IUH. RESULTS: During the study period, data from 783 pregnancies were included, and the incidence of IUH was 4.5% (35 of 783). We observed a higher proportion of miscarriage following the scan (28.6% vs. 10%, P=0.003) and a larger yolk sac diameter during the scan (4.8 mm vs. 3.8 mm, P 0.999), or the incidence of first-trimester vaginal bleeding (31% vs. 20%, P=0.130). Moreover, heart rate (HR) was the only variable that predicted miscarriage with statistical significance (P=0.017). CONCLUSION: Women with first-trimester IUH had a higher risk of miscarriage after the ultrasound scan. HR was the only variable that predicted miscarriage with statistical significance.

Second trimester cervical length measurement for prediction spontaneous preterm birth in an unselected risk population

OBJECTIVE: To assess the predictive capacity of cervical length (CL) measurement underwent during the second trimester ultrasound for prediction preterm birth <32, 34, and 37 weeks of gestation in an unselected risk population. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed with 751 singleton pregnancies between 20 and 24+6 weeks of gestation. The CL measurement (mm) using the transvaginal route was obtained in a sagittal view and the calipers positioned to measure the linear distance between the triangular area of echodensity at the external os and the internal os. To compare the preterm (<37 weeks) and term births (≥37 weeks), we used unpaired t test. We assessed whether the CL measurement was dependent of gestational age by performing a linear regression and assessing the coefficient of determination (R²). We additionally assessed the accuracy of CL measurement to predict preterm birth by assessing the area under receiver operating characteristics curves with its respective confidence intervals (CIs) 95%. RESULTS: Preterm birth <37 weeks was found in 13.6% (102/751) of pregnant women. Short cervix (≤25 mm) was found in 2.7% (20/751) of pregnancies. Only 30% (6/20) of pregnant women with short cervix have used progesterone to prevent preterm birth. There was a weak correlation between CL measurement and gestational age at delivery (R²=0.01, P=0.002). Receiver operating characteristics curve analysis of the ability of CL measurement to predict preterm birth <32, 34, and 37 weeks, showed an area under the curve of 0.693 (95% CI, 0.512 to 0.874), 0.472 (95% CI, 0.353 to 0.591), 0.490 (95% CI, 0.426 to 0.555), respectively. CONCLUSION: There was a weak correlation between CL measurement and gestational age at delivery. In an unselected population, CL measurement screening at 20 to 24+6 weeks of gestation does not seem to be a good predictor of preterm birth.

Reference values for the cervical length measurement in the second trimester of pregnancy using the transvaginal ultrasound in a large Brazilian population

To establish reference values for the cervical length (CL) measurement by transvaginal ultrasound between 20 and 24+6 weeks of gestation in a large Brazilian population. A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed with 996 singleton pregnancies. The CL measurement (mm) using the transvaginal ultrasound was obtained in a sagittal view and the calipers positioned to measure the linear distance between the triangular area of echodensity at the external os and the internal os. The median±standard deviation and ranges for the CL measurement (mm) was 37.0±10.7 (range, 8 to 51). CL measurement did not modify significantly with gestational age. The observed percentiles for the CL measurement (mm) considering all number case were the following: 5th, 28 mm; 50th, 37 mm; and 95th, 45 mm. Reference values for the CL measurement by transvaginal ultrasound between 20 and 24+6 weeks of gestation in a large heterogeneous Brazilian population were established.