A Prenatal Ultrasound Scanning Approach: One-Touch Technique in Second and Third Trimesters

• Published in: Ultrasound in medicine & biology Vol. 47; no. 8; pp. 2258 - 2265
• Main Authors: Luo, Dandan, Wen, Huaxuan, Peng, Guiyan, Lin, Yi, Liang, Meiling, Liao, Yimei, Qin, Yue, Zeng, Qing, Dang, Jing, Li, Shengli
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.08.2021
• Subjects: Artificial intelligence; Biometric measurement; Fetus; Prenatal ultrasonography; Standard plane; Fetus; Artificial intelligence; Standard plane; Biometric measurement; Prenatal ultrasonography
• ISSN: 0301-5629; 1879-291X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2021.04.020

This study was aimed at evaluating the performance of the innovative technique Smart Fetus (SF) developed to recognize the planes and obtain the basic biometric measurements of fetuses automatically. This prospective study included 1005 uncomplicated singleton pregnancies undergoing routine examinations. For every pregnancy, planes, including the transverse section of the thalami, transverse section of the abdomen and longitudinal section of the femur, were acquired, and standard biometric measurements, including biparietal diameter, head circumference, abdominal circumference and femur length, were obtained using SF and traditional ultrasound technique (TUT). The accuracy, reproducibility and time required for the analysis of SF were compared with those of TUT. In 998 of 1005 cases (99.30%), SF successfully acquired the sections and made all measurements. The agreement between the techniques was high for all measurements. The time to obtain sections and measure biometric parameters or solely measure biometric parameters was significantly shorter with SF than with TUT. No significant differences were found in SF repeated measurements obtained by two independent observers. The SF technique helped in the acquisition of reliable standard sections and biometric measurements and saved time. It might serve as a novel ultrasound scanning approach and improve workflow efficiency.