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Fetal Echocardiography and Pulsed-wave Doppler Ultrasound in a Rabbit Model of Intrauterine Growth Restriction
Published on: June 29, 2013
Evaluation of umbilical venous blood flow by Doppler color flow mapping and conventional ultrasonographic methods
1Pediatric Echocardiographic Laboratory, University of California, San Francisco 94143, USA.
Ultrasonographic measurement of umbilical venous blood flow as a reflection of placental blood flow has been used for assessment of fetal well-being. Because fetal and maternal factors may prevent satisfactory measurement of umbilical venous diameter and flow velocity, an alternative method would be helpful. We found that, in 35 human fetuses between 18 and 35 weeks of gestation, that both variables for umbilical venous flow calculation can be measured from a single Doppler color frame with close measurement agreement to conventional combined cross-sectional pulsed Doppler ultrasonographic measurements. Thus, this method provides an alternative to the conventional method or may be used for a cross-check and has the potential for automated flow calculation.
Ultrasonographic measurement of umbilical venous blood flow as a reflection of placental blood flow has been used for assessment of fetal well-being. Because fetal and maternal factors may prevent satisfactory measurement of umbilical venous diameter and flow velocity, an alternative method would be helpful. We found that, in 35 human fetuses between 18 and 35 weeks of gestation, that both variables for umbilical venous flow calculation can be measured from a single Doppler color frame with close measurement agreement to conventional combined cross-sectional pulsed Doppler ultrasonographic measurements. Thus, this method provides an alternative to the conventional method or may be used for a cross-check and has the potential for automated flow calculation.
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