Study On The Brain Volume In Normal Fetuses And Fetuses With Congenital Heart Disease Using Three-dimensional Ultrasound

Objective:To measure the brain volume of normal fetuses and CHD fetuses using the virtual organ computer-aided analysis of three-dimensional ultrasound, and research the relationship between the brain volume and the gestational age (GA),biparietal diameter(BPD) and the head circumference (HC) in normal fetuses. Compare the different of brain volume between normal fetuses and CHD fetuses.Method:241singleton fetuses ranged between20and36weeks of gestation were collected from February2013to February2014in our hospital.68singleton fetuses with CHD were included,and mean pregnancy week is27.75±4.1weeks.168normal singleton fetuses comprised the control group with a mean pregnancy week at27.76±4.5weeks.The GE Voluson E8Expert Doppler ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus was used. Conventional examination of fetal development and the fetal cardiac. Obtain the3D images by using the three-dimensional probe, and then calculate brain volume using VOCAL.Analyse the relationship between the brain volume and GA, BPD and HC in normal fetuses. Compare the different of brain volume between normal fetuses and CHD fetuses.Results:In normal fetuses, fetal brain volume increased with the increase of GA, BPD and HC. The relationship between brain volume and GA, BPD is conformed to the S curve, while at the same time, the relationship between brain volume and HC is conformed to the power function. There was no significant difference about the BPD and the HC between normal fetuses and CHD fetuses (P>0.05), while in the same time, the brain volume of CHD fetus was smaller than the normal fetuses, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). But when we divided the fetuses into two groups, one is less than30weeks and the other is equal to or greater than30weeks, the result change. In the group of fetuses GA less than30week, there was no significant difference about the BPD,the HC and the brain volume between normal fetuses and CHD fetuses (P>0.05).But in the group of fetuses GA equal to or greater than30weeks, all these three measured values were have significant difference between normal fetuses and CHD fetuses.Conclusions:The fetal brain volume measurements using three-dimensional ultrasound are operability and repeatability. In normal fetuses, fetal brain volume increased with the increase of GA, BPD and HC. The brain volume of of CHD fetus was smaller than the normal fetuses, the difference was statistically significant.