Current experience and prospect of internet consultation in fetal cardiac ultrasound

Internet consultation with volume ultrasound is one of the strategies studied to attempt to improve prenatal detection of congenital heart defects (CHD).

This methodology is a form of telemedicine in which a volume block of the fetal heart (either static 3D or STIC volume dataset) is acquired by an operator (non-expert) and transmitted via internet for remote consultation. Naturally, this methodology is suitable for remote locations or those with less access to specialists able to confirm or rule out a prenatal diagnosis of CHD.

The use of internet consultation demonstrates that some intracardiac anomalies can be ruled out and others confirmed, thus enabling the parents to prepare for the likely outcome of the pregnancy and to modify the perinatal management.

Internet consultation offers a good alternative for fetuses from more isolated locations with a high risk of CHD. Moreover, this methodology could become an interesting tool for distance learning and training.