Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 22, 2026
Murine Fetal Echocardiography
Published on: February 15, 2013
Feasibility and accuracy of fetal echocardiography using four-dimensional spatiotemporal image correlation technology
M Bennasar1, J M Martínez, A Olivella
1Maternal-Fetal Medicine Department, Institut Clínic de Ginecologia, Obstetrícia I Neonatologia (ICGON), Hospital Clínic, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Objectives:
To evaluate the potential value of early fetal echocardiography (EFE) by means of four-dimensional (4D) spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) technology for either reassurance of normality or prenatal diagnosis of major congenital heart defects (CHDs).
Methods:
Sixty-nine pregnant women from 11 to 15 weeks' gestation underwent EFE. 4D-STIC volumes were acquired by the transvaginal approach for later review by two different examiners. STIC evaluation was considered complete when the four-chamber view, and the origin and double-crossing of the great arteries were identified correctly. Color Doppler imaging was used to detect either septal shunts or transvalvular regurgitation/aliasing suggesting abnormalities. STIC diagnoses were compared with those of conventional EFE. Reliability was assessed by postnatal examination, or autopsy in cases of termination of pregnancy or perinatal death.
Results:
The median gestational age at volume acquisition was 13 + 3 weeks. Eleven (15.9%) cases of CHD were diagnosed. A complete EFE was possible in 64 cases. We were able to provide reassurance of normality in 51 of the 53 confirmed normal hearts, with no false-positive results for major defects, although two minor defects (one ventricular septal defect (VSD) and one persistent left superior vena cava) were falsely suspected. The only false negative was a significant VSD at birth overlooked by both observers. Therefore, the total accuracy of STIC-EFE was 95.3% (61/64), with sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of 90.9%, 96.2%, 83.3% and 98.1%. The accuracy of conventional EFE (98.4%, 63/64) was slightly better than that of STIC, with no false-positive results recorded.
Conclusions:
Offline evaluation of 4D-STIC acquired volumes of the fetal heart in the first and early second trimester of pregnancy is reliable not only for early reassurance of normal cardiac anatomy but also to diagnose most major structural heart defects.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System I:Echocardiography
Indications: Echocardiography is utilized to diagnose heart failure, valve disorders, and myocardial infarction. It also assesses cardiac structures' size, shape, and motion, evaluates...
01:20Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System II:Types of Echocardiography
Types of Echocardiography
Transthoracic Echocardiography (TTE)
TTE is the most common type of echocardiogram which involves placing a transducer on the patient's chest, emitting sound waves to create heart images. TTE is invaluable for evaluating the heart's size, structure, and motion, making it particularly useful for diagnosing...