Prenatal Diagnosis of Abdominal Aorta-Hepatic Artery-Umbilical Vein Fistula Using High-Definition Flow Render Mode...

Fetal abdominal aorta-hepatic artery-umbilical vein fistulas are rare congenital vascular-related malformations. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic efficacy of ultrasound in detecting fetal aorta-hepatic artery-umbilical vein fistulas using high-definition flow (HD-flow) render mode and spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) technology. The study emphasizes six case analyses of abdominal aorta-hepatic artery-umbilical vein fistula using HD-flow render mode and STIC. Postnatal outcome evaluations were performed at our medical facility. The fistulas formed a connection between the abdominal aorta and the umbilical vein. HD-flow render mode and STIC were acquired in all six cases. In three cases, fistulas with a diameter >3 mm were associated with extracardiac structural abnormalities and congenital heart defects. The incidence of heart failure was higher when the ratio of the fistula diameter to the umbilical vein diameter was >0.65 and to the abdominal aorta diameter was >0.9. Three fetuses were viable to survive, while three did not, including one that died in utero. HD-flow render mode and STIC facilitate a more accurate and comprehensive observation of the hemodynamics of the fetal abdominal aorta-hepatic artery-umbilical vein fistula, enabling the early diagnosis of related complications and determination of prognosis.