Cardiac anatomy is complex and often difficult to visualize or comprehend. 3D echocardiography is an area undergoing rapid development that represents a natural extension of conventional sonography methods which require integrating a series of 2D image slices to develop a 3D impression of underlying anatomy or pathology. This paper will review some of the basic concepts behind three-dimensional...

Introduction: Fetal heart evaluation with US is feasible and reproducible, although challenging due to the smallness of the heart, the high heart rate and limited access to the fetus. However, some cardiac parameters have already shown a strong correlation with outcomes and may soon be incorporated into clinical practice. Materials and Methods: Cardiac function assessment has proven utility in ...

e developing fetus is a€ected by social and environmental inuences, including maternal nutritional status; substance use (both legal and illicit); and psychologic trauma. Correspondingly, the psychologic alterations experienced by the parents during the gestation profoundly impact the lives of all members of the family. Growing evidence implicates the importance of these and other maternal an...

Fetal heart rate and fetal movements provide information on the fetal condition. In the near term human fetus, four behavioural states have been described based upon heart rate patterns and presence or absence of eye and body movements. For our studies concerning fetal physiology as well as the influence of maternal antiepileptic medication and the effects of intrauterine growth retardation on ...

We investigated the role of foetal spine position in the first and second labour stages to determine the probability of OPP detection at birth and the related obstetrical implications. We conducted an observational-longitudinal cohort study on uncomplicated cephalic single foetus pregnant women at term. We evaluated the accuracy of ultrasound in predicting occiput position at birth, influence o...

Introduction: Amniotic fluid, once thought to merely provide protection and room for necessary movement and growth for the fetus, is now understood to be a highly complex and dynamic system that is studied as a data point to interpret fetal wellbeing. Methods: Assessment of amniotic fluid volume is now routine when performing a sonographic evaluation of fetal status and is an important consider...

BACKGROUND A disintegrin and metalloprotease 12 (ADAM12-S) has previously been reported to be significantly reduced in maternal serum from women with fetal aneuploidy early in the first trimester and to significantly improve the quality of risk assessment for fetal trisomy 21 in prenatal screening. The aim of this study was to determine whether ADAM12-S is a useful serum marker for fetal trisom...

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) remains one of the main challenges in maternity care. Improvements have to start from a better definition of IUGR, applying the concept of the fetal growth potential. Customized standards for fetal growth and birthweight improve the detection of IUGR by better distinction between physiological and pathological smallness and have led to internationally appl...

Treatment and outcome of childbirth depend on the acidobasic balance of the fetal blood related to the oxygen and carbon dioxide level. Hypoxemia could lead to asphyxia that is why fetal monitoring and biochemical parameters assessment are mandatory. Although there are compensatory mechanisms that temporarily protect the fetus, there are also other factors that interfere with the oxygenation of...

1. Differentiate genitourinary abnormalities associated with hydronephrosis detected on fetal ultrasonography. 2. Describe the type of fetal hydronephrosis that requires a complete uroradiologic evaluation. 3. Characterize the complete postnatal uroradiologic evaluation of significant fetal hydronephrosis. 4. Delineate the factor that sets the timetable for postnatal uroradiologic evaluation. 5...