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Updated: Jun 2, 2026
Murine Fetal Echocardiography
Published on: February 15, 2013
Fetal cardiac ventricular volume, cardiac output, and ejection fraction determined with 4-dimensional ultrasound
Neil Hamill1, Lami Yeo, Roberto Romero
1Perinatology Research Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI, USA.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to quantify fetal cardiovascular parameters using spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) and virtual organ computer-aided analysis (VOCAL).
Study Design:
A cross-sectional study was performed in normal pregnancies (19-42 weeks) to evaluate ventricular volume, stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO), and ejection fraction (EF). The CO was also expressed as a function of estimated fetal weight and biometric parameters.
Results:
The following results were found: (1) 184 STIC datasets; (2) with advancing gestation, ventricular volume, SV, CO, and adjusted CO increased, whereas EF decreased; (3) right ventricular (RV) volume was larger than the left ventricular (LV) volume in systole (0.50 vs 0.27 mL; P < .001) and diastole (1.20 vs 1.03 mL; P < .001); (4) there were no differences between the LV and RV in SV, CO, or adjusted CO; and (5) LV EF was greater than the RV EF (72.2 vs 62.4%; P < .001).
Conclusion:
Normal fetal cardiovascular physiology is characterized by a larger RV volume and a greater LV EF, resulting in similar LV and RV SV and CO.
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