Scan the fetal heart by real-time three-dimensional echocardiography with live xPlane imaging

To describe the methodology of live xPlane imaging in the visualization of the fetal heart in detail.

Fifty-one consecutive pregnant women with singleton pregnancies were imaged to display four screening sections of the fetal heart, the four-chamber view, the left outflow tract view (LVOT), the right outflow tract view (RVOT), and the three-vessel and trachea view (3VT), using live xPlane imaging. The methodology of how to visualize the screening planes was described in detail. We used two methods to image the fetal heart with live xPlane imaging: one uses the four-chamber view as the starting plane and the other uses the longitudinal view of fetal upper thorax as the starting plane.

When using the four-chamber view as the starting plane, the visualization rate of LVOT, RVOT, and 3VT was 94.1% (48/51), 100% (51/51), and 98.0% (50/51), respectively. When using the longitudinal view as the starting plane, the visualization rate of four-chamber view, LVOT, RVOT, and 3VT was 100% (51/51), 100% (51/51), 41.2% (21/51), and 100% (51/51), respectively.

Live xPlane imaging can be used to visualize the screening views of the fetal heart, and potentially may be a useful tool for the assessment and diagnosis of fetal congenital heart diseases.