Clinical value of sonography based volume computer aided display heart (SonoVCADheart) in the display of key diagnostic elements in basic fetal echocardiographic views / 中华超声影像学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To evaluate the clinical value of sonography based volume computer aided display heart (SonoVCADheart) in the display of key diagnostic elements in basic fetal echocardiographic views.Methods:4D volume data based on fetal four-chamber view of 80 singleton fetuses (including 57 normal fetuses and 23 fetuses with heart abnormalities) were collected by using a volumetric probe from the Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University College of Medicine from January 8-22, 2019. Four to five volume datasets based on four-chamber view of the heart were rapidly acquired from each fetus. Three doctors (Doctor A Engaged in fetal echocardiography diagnosis for more than 15 years, Doctor B and C 6 months of regular fetal echocardiography training but lack of experience) with different fetal echocardiographic experiences performed off-line processing using SonoVCADheart combined tomographic ultrasound imaging (TUI) at different times to obtain eight standard echocardiographic diagnostic views, and to score the elementary contents of each echocardiographic view. The scores of the same doctor at different times, the scores of less experienced doctors and experienced doctor, and the scores between normal and abnormal fetuses, and the time required for analysis and diagnosis among all doctors were analyzed and compared, respectively. The diagnostic coincidence rates of SonoVCADheart for fetuses with cardiac malformations were also assessed.Results:A total of 279 volume datasets obtained from 57 normal fetuses, an average of 4.89/fetus, and 109 volume datasets obtained from 23 fetuses with cardiovascular abnormalities, an average of 4.74/fetus, and all volume datasets were used for SonoVCADheart analysis. The volume percentage of all the elements in the 8 diagnostic views with image quality≥2 points shown by SonoVCADheart in the normal fetuses was about 70.61%-74.91%, in the abnormal fetuses was about 53.21%-55.96%. There were no significant differences in the scores between the same doctor at different times, the scores between inexperienced doctors, and the scores among experienced and less experienced doctors(all P>0.05). There were significant differences in the scores between normal and abnormal fetuses except for all of the superior and inferior vena cava view and the aorticarch view of doctors A and C(all P<0.05). The time required for experienced doctor A and inexperienced doctors B and C to obtain 8 diagnostic views and to complete the diagnosis was statistically significant ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the time required for the inexperienced doctors B and C to obtain 8 diagnostic sections and to complete the diagnosis ( P>0.05). There was statistically significant difference in the diagnosis time required for doctor A using SonoVCADheart and two-dimensional echocardiography in fetuses with cardiovascular malformations ( P<0.05). However, there was no statistically significant difference in the time required in the normal fetus between SonoVCADheart and two-dimensional echocardiography ( P>0.05). The diagnostic coincidence rate of SonoVCADheart for fetuses with cardiac malformations is about 89.91%-90.83%. Conclusions:SonoVCADheart is a repeatable and stable novel fetal heart processing tool enabling displaying eight standard diagnostic sections of the fetal heart, and has potential clinical application value in the standardization of image acquisition and sequence display.