STIC volumes

BACKGROUND: Speckle tracking technology has been applied to assess ventricular deformation throughout the cardiac cycle. An electronic four dimensional probe that allows rapid acquisition of electronic spatio-temporal image correlation volumes (eSTIC) has been recently introduced. OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was to investigate whether e-STIC acquisition improves deformation analyses reproducibility. STUDY DESIGN: We recruited fetuses between 20 and 40 weeks of gestation...

Background: 4D ultrasound images of human fetal heart are important for medical applications such as evaluation of fetal heart function and early diagnosis of congenital heart diseases. However, due to the high noise and low contrast characteristics in fetal ultrasound images, denoising and enhancements are important. Methods: In this paper, a special method framework for denoising and enhancing is proposed. It consists of a 4D-NLM (non-local means) denoising method for 4D fetal heart ultrasound image sequence, which takes advantage of context similar information in neighboring images to denoise the target image, and an enhancing method called the Adaptive Clipping for Each Histogram Pillar (ACEHP), which is designed to enhance myocardial spaces to distinguish them from blood spaces...

Volume ultrasound has been shown to provide valid complementary information on fetal anatomy. Four-dimensional assessment (4D) of the fetal cardiovascular system using spatial-temporal image correlation (STIC) allows for detailed examination of a highly complex organ from the early second trimester onward. There is compelling evidence that this technique harbors quite a number of diagnostic opportunities, but manual navigation through STIC volume datasets is highly operator dependent. In fact, STIC is not incorporated yet into daily practice...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the mitral and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursions (MAPSE and TAPSE, respectively) and cardiac output (CO) in fetuses of pregnant women with pregestational diabetes mellitus (DM) using spatio-temporal image correlation M-mode (STIC-M) and virtual organ computer-aided analysis (VOCAL). METHODS: This study was prospective and cross-sectional. It included 45 fetuses each from mothers with pregestational DM and healthy mothers, with gestation ages ranging from 20 to 36...

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the accuracy, efficiency, and consistency between experienced and less-experienced professionals using intelligent navigation echocardiography. METHODS: In this prospective study, we enrolled 93 fetuses with conotruncal defects (CTD) in the second and third trimesters from July 2017 to February 2018. One or more spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) volume data sets were collected per case. The fetuses with CTD were diagnosed by the following two groups (n=20, each) of professionals with different experience levels using intelligent navigation echocardiography and two-dimensional ultrasound (2D US): group A with 15 years of experience and group B with 1 year of experience...

The main objective of this study was to investigate the diagnostic performance of FINE in generating and displaying 3 specific abnormal fetal echocardiography views such as left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) view, right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) view, and 3-vessels and trachea (3VT) view in fetuses with double-outlet right ventricle (DORV). In this prospective study, thirty fetuses diagnosed with DORV by fetal echocardiography in the second and third trimesters were enrolled. One or more STIC volume data-sets were collected from the 4-chamber view as initial view for each fetus, one optimal volume per fetus was selected for on-line analysis using FINE, and the diagnosis plane image was optimized using the Virtual Intelligent Sonographer Assistance (VIS-assistance)...

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the technical feasibility and accuracy of applying 3-dimensional (3D) printing of normal and abnormal fetal hearts based on spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) volume-rendered data. METHODS: Spatiotemporal image correlation volume images of 15 healthy fetuses and 15 fetuses with cardiac abnormalities were collected, and Mimics software (Materialise NV, Leuven, Belgium) was used to postprocess the volume data to obtain a 3D digital model of fetal heart and large blood vessel morphologic characteristics and to output the file to a 3D printer for printing the 3D model of the fetal heart and large blood vessels...

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the leading organ-specific birth defect, as well as the leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality from congenital malformations. Therefore, a comprehensive screening examination of the fetal heart should be performed in all women to maximize the detection of CHD. Four-dimensional sonography with spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) technology displays a cine loop of a complete single cardiac cycle in motion. A novel method known as Fetal Intelligent Navigation Echocardiography (or FINE) was previously developed to interrogate STIC volume datasets using "intelligent navigation" technology...

To assess the fetal cardiac function and ventricular volumes by three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound using spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC) and virtual organ computer-aided analysis (VOCAL) methods in fetuses from pre-gestational diabetic women. This was a prospective and cross-sectional study that evaluated 53 fetuses from pre-gestational diabetic women and 53 fetuses from healthy mothers between 20 and 34 weeks of gestation. Only fetuses with no structural or genetic abnormalities and singleton pregnant women were included in this study...

BACKGROUND: Aortopulmonary window (APW) is a rare congenital heart disease which challenges most screening sonographers. The current study aims to summarize the two-dimensional (2D) and four-dimensional (4D) sonographic features in the fetal diagnosis. METHODS: Ten cases of fetal APW were retrospectively reviewed, including 6 and 4 fetuses with distal and proximal defects, respectively. In addition, 40 normal fetuses with similar gestational age were also enrolled...

Elevated intracapsular pressure in the hip causes occlusion of the retinacular vessels and may result in avascular necrosis of the proximal femoral epiphysis (ANPFE) and growth disturbances. Our goal is to study intraarticular pressure in children with septic arthritis of the hip and its potential correlation with body weight, systemic blood pressure and the volume of synovial fluid aspirated from the joint. Thirteen septic arthritis of the hip were studied. Inclusion criteria: pain, limping, fever, leukocytosis, elevated C-reactive protein and ultrasonographic effusion >5 mm...

Objectives: Recent advances in Spatial Temporal Image Correlation (STIC) 4 D fetal echocardiography include the application of eSTIC based on electronic probe image acquisition. We aimed to directly compare the performance of conventional STIC versus eSTIC technique (B-Mode and color Doppler imaging) during off-line reconstruction of STIC/eSTIC fetal heart volume pairs. Methods: Pairs of B-Mode and Color Doppler STIC volumes were acquired sequentially by firstly conventional (STIC) followed by electronic (eSTIC) probes during 33 consecutive obstetric scans at median 23 (range 13-31) gestational weeks...

Objective To assess the success rates of five fetal cardiac views using HDlive Flow (Silhouette) with spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, and to verify the feasibility of obtaining five cardiac views by volumes. Methods One hundred and eighteen normal fetuses at 18-21 and 28-31 weeks of gestation were studied using HDlive Flow (Silhouette) with STIC to assess the success rates of five fetal cardiac views (frontal, spatial three-vessel, panoramic, posterior, and right lateral views)...

Three- and four-dimensional (3D/4D) ultrasonography with spatio-temporal image correlation (4D-STIC) allows obtaining fetal cardiac volumes and their static and real-time analysis in multiplanar and rendering modes. Cardiac biometrics and Doppler-echocardiographic parameters for evaluation of fetal heart function, including cardiac output and stroke volume, can be analyzed using M-mode, two-dimensional (2D), and 3D/4D cardiac ultrasound. In recent years, functional echocardiography has been used to study fetuses without a structurally cardiac defect but who are at risk of heart failure due to the presence of extra-cardiac conditions, such as, fetal growth restriction, tumors/masses, twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, fetal anemia (Rh alloimmunization), congenital infections, or maternal diabetes mellitus...

OBJECTIVE: To compare the quality of standard fetal echocardiographic views obtained by four-dimensional ultrasound with those obtained by the simple targeted arterial rendering (STAR) technique, four-chamber view swing technique (FAST), and fetal intelligent navigation echocardiography (FINE/5D Heart® ) technique. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional prospective study that included pregnant women between 22 and 34 weeks of gestation, with normal fetuses. Fetal heart volumes were acquired using spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC) with the fetal spine between 2 and 9 o'clock...

OBJECTIVE:  To determine reference values for myocardial volume of the fetal heart using three-dimensional ultrasound with spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) and virtual organ computer-aided analysis (VOCAL) and to assess their applicability in women with pregestational diabetes. STUDY DESIGN:  This retrospective cross-sectional study included 177 normal pregnant women with fetuses between 200/7 and 336/7 weeks of age. Fetal cardiac volumes were collected using the STIC method, and myocardial volume was obtained by subtraction of the intracavitary volumes using the VOCAL 30-degree method...

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the performance of fetal intelligent navigation echocardiography (FINE) applied to spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) volumes in generating 3 specific abnormal cardiac views (left ventricular outflow tract, right ventricular outflow tract, and 3-vessel and trachea) used to screen for d-transposition of the great arteries (d-TGA). METHODS: In this prospective study, 1 or more STIC volumes were obtained from the 4-chamber view in 34 second- and third-trimester fetuses with d-TGA...

Since its introduction >15 years ago, the use of spatial and temporal image correlation (STIC) technology has contributed substantially to fetal echocardiography. Moreover, significant advances have occurred in 3- and 4-dimensional (3D/4D) echocardiography over the past several years including the matrix probe along with advances in gray scale and color Doppler post processing, resulting in improved display of ultrasound images. In this article, we provide examples to show these recent developments including the use of color Doppler with STIC in the glass-body mode and the matrix probe thus enabling the demonstration of cardiac anomalies of the 4-chamber-view and great arteries...

BACKGROUND: There is currently no reliable non-invasive method of measuring cardiac output in neonatal intensive care. Spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) is a novel four-dimensional (4D) ultrasound technique that was developed to assess the foetal heart, and it may be a useful way to assess neonatal haemodynamics. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and reproducibility of determining neonatal cardiac output using STIC ultrasound in newborn infants...

Taihang Mountains plays a key role in water supply for the North China Plain, even though it has the ecological disadvantages of less water and soil. Research on the vertical characteri-stics of water supply and demand in Taihang Mountains is beneficial for the sustainable management of the mountain ecosystem. Here, we quantitatively evaluated water provision in the Taihang Mountains using remote sensing data and InVEST model. Water consumption was calculated according to the index of per capita comprehensive water use in different areas...