TY - JOUR
TI - Assessment of nuchal translucency thickness and the fetal anatomy in the first trimester of pregnancy by two- and three-dimensional ultrasonography: A pilot study
AU - Antsaklis, A.
AU - Daskalakis, G.
AU - Theodora, M.
AU - Hiridis, P.
AU - Komita, O.
AU - Blanas, K.
AU - Anastasakis, E.
JO - Journal of Perinatal Medicine
PY - 2011
VL - 39
TODO - 2
SP - 185-193
PB - 
SN - 0300-5577, 1619-3997
TODO - 10.1515/JPM.2010.156
TODO - abdomen;  arm;  article;  bladder;  controlled study;  crown rump length;  female;  fetus;  fetus (anatomy);  fetus malformation;  first trimester pregnancy;  human;  leg;  nasal bone;  nuchal translucency measurement;  pilot study;  pregnant woman;  priority journal;  prospective study;  screening;  spine;  statistical significance;  stomach;  three dimensional echocardiography;  two dimensional echocardiography, Female;  Fetus;  Gestational Age;  Humans;  Imaging, Three-Dimensional;  Nuchal Translucency Measurement;  Pilot Projects;  Pregnancy;  Pregnancy Trimester, First;  Prospective Studies
TODO - Aim: To evaluate the use of three-dimensional ultrasonography (3D) as an alternative for examining fetal anatomy and nuchal translucency (NT) in the 1st trimester of pregnancy. Method: Prospective study of 199 low risk pregnant women undergoing 1st trimester ultrasound scan for fetal anomalies. The NT and fetal anatomy were evaluated by three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonography after the standard two-dimensional (2D) examination. The gold standard in this study was the 2D ultrasonography. Results: In some of the evaluated parameters the 3D method approaches the conventional 2D results. These parameters are the crown-rump length (CRL), the skull - brain anatomy (93.5%), the spine (85.4%), the upper (88.4%) and lower limbs (87.9%) and the examination of the fetal abdomen (98.5%). Some of the anatomic parameters under evaluation revealed a statistically significant difference in favor of the 2D examination. During the 3D examination the nasal bone was identified in 62.1% of the cases, the stomach in 85.9%, and the urinary bladder in 57.3% of the cases. The NT was assessed accurately in half of the cases compared to 2D examination. Conclusion: The 3D ultrasound is insufficient for the detailed fetal anatomy examination during the 1st trimester of pregnancy. Nevertheless, the method might be improved in order to be considered as a screening method. © 2011 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin New York.
ER -