Investigation of frontomaxillary facial angle in fetuses at 11+0 to 13+6 weeks with two- and three-dimensional ultrasound / 中国医学影像技术

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the role of two-dimensional ultrasound (2DUS) and three-dimensional ultrasonography (3DUS) in the measurement of fetal frontomaxillay facial (FMF) angle. Methods FMF angle in fetuses at 11~(+0) to 13~(+6) weeks were measured with 2DUS and 3DUS respectively. The difference between measurements and reproducibility were compared, and the relationship between FMF angle measured with 3DUS and crown-rump length (CRL) was assessed.Results FMF angle was obtained in 37 fetuses. Assessable fetuses increased with increased CRL, while the values of FMF angle decreased. Qualified 3D volumes were obtained from 30/37 (81.08%) fetuses, while qualified 2D measurements were available in 18/37 (48.65%) fetuses. For the same fetus, the difference between two measurements with 3DUS was significantly less than that with 2DUS (1.68°±1.01° vs 2.78°±1.95°, P<0.01). For the 11 fetuses assessed with both methods, the values of FMF angle obtained with two methods were not significant different. There was significant negative correlation between FMF angle and fetal CRL (r＝-0.540,P<0.01).Conclusion FMF angle in fetuses at 11~(+0) to 13~(+6) weeks can be achieved rapidly and accurately with 3DUS.