o_1977r8vv9vk1ts2ms0kd8pksa.pdf

514 D. Maulik
Fig. 34.11. Four-dimensional echocardiography
in a fetus with complete atrioventricular
septal defect. En face
view of the defect (asterisk) from the
right side. Turbulent color flow can be
seen across the defect. (From [12])
Fig. 34.13. Raw data volume showing a beating fetal heart
during a slow 3D sweep. This information is used to calculate
the fetal heart rate. (From [8])
Fig. 34.12. Four-dimensional echocardiography in a fetus
with complete atrioventricular septal defect. Four-chamber
view cropped to show the color Doppler depiction of
shunt across the septal defect. RA right atrium, LA left
atrium, RV right ventricle, LV left ventricle. (From [12])
STIC processing is very fast so that the images are
produced in real time. Moreover, B-mode resolution
has continued to improve. The 3D image volume data
set can be archived and reexamined comprehensively
later which may improve the efficacy of the prenatal
diagnosis of congenital heart defects.
The STIC approach is sensitive to movements. Fetal
body movements, or sometimes even fetal breathing,
will produce artifacts rendering the images uninterpretable.
Maternal breathing or transducer movement
may also create this problem.
Fetal Echocardiography
with STIC Technology
Introduction of this technique represents a significant
advance in prenatal cardiac diagnosis. Several investigators
have reported the use of this approach for fetal
echocardiography [13±15]. These studies demonstrate
the feasibility of using the STIC approach to obtain
not only the traditional views of the fetal cardiac
anatomy but also the ability to view the cardiac
structures in an innovative manner. Our own preliminary
experience corroborates these reports. A single
sweep was able to produce four-chamber and outflow
tract images with the color Doppler demonstrating
the cross-over relationship between the pulmonary
and the aortic outflows (Figs. 34.14, 34.15). It is apparent
that this approach and its future evolution