Four-dimensional echocardiography with B-flow imaging and spatiotemporal image correlation in the assessment of congenital heart defects

Objective The objective of the present study was to evaluate the role of four-dimensional ultrasound with B-flow imaging and spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) in the detection of congenital heart defects. Methods Automated longitudinal and transverse sweeping of the fetal chest was utilized to obtain the volume datasets of the heart. Among the fetuses recruited in the study, 20 were normal and 13 were fetuses with congenital heart anomalies. Reconstructed images of abnormal hearts were compared with those of normal fetuses. Results Of the 20 normal fetuses, all extracardiac vessels such as aorta, pulmonary artery, ductus artery, inferior vena cava, and ductus venosus could be detected on reconstructed images of 16 fetuses. In five normal cases, a four-dimensional image was recorded to allow simultaneous visualization of all four pulmonary veins. In the 13 fetuses with cardiac anomalies, four-dimensional sonography with B-flow imaging and STIC detected the 'digital casts' of the outflow tracts, great arteries, and veins draining into the heart. These results demonstrate spatial relationship among these structures which provide important anatomical information. Conclusions The use of four-dimensional ultrasound examination with B-flow imaging and STIC is a very useful technique in identifying anatomical features of different congenital cardiac anomalies. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.