Am J Perinatol 2017; 34(13): 1354-1361
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1603652
Original Article
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Fetal Heart Function by Tricuspid Annular Plane Systolic Excursion and Ventricular Shortening Fraction Using STIC M-Mode: Reference Ranges and Validation

Giselle Darahem Tedesco
1   Department of Obstetrics, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo (EPM-UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
,
Marilim de Souza Bezerra
1   Department of Obstetrics, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo (EPM-UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
,
Fernanda Silveira Bello Barros
1   Department of Obstetrics, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo (EPM-UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
,
Wellington P. Martins
2   Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
,
Luciano Marcondes Machado Nardozza
1   Department of Obstetrics, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo (EPM-UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
,
Rosiane Mattar
1   Department of Obstetrics, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo (EPM-UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
,
Antonio Fernandes Moron
1   Department of Obstetrics, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo (EPM-UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
,
Liliam Cristine Rolo
1   Department of Obstetrics, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo (EPM-UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
,
Edward Araujo Júnior
1   Department of Obstetrics, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo (EPM-UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

24 March 2017

28 April 2017

Publication Date:
01 June 2017 (online)

Abstract

Objective To determine the reference values for fetal tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (f-TAPSE) and fetal ventricular shortening fraction (f-VSF) using spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) with M-mode, and validate these curves in fetuses of pregnant women with preexisting diabetes mellitus (DM) and with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR).

Study Design Crosssectional study assessed 300 fetal cardiac volumes of normal pregnancies between 20 and 33 + 6 weeks of gestation. For the construction of the reference curves, we used a polynomial regression model adjusted with the coefficient of determination (R2). For the calculation of reproducibility, the concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) was used.

Results f-TAPSE value correlated with gestational age (GA, R2 = 0.46), whereas fetal right ventricular shortening fraction (f-RVSF, R2 = 0.02) and fetal left ventricular shortening fraction (f-LVSF, R2 = 0.005) did not vary with GA. Fetuses of pregnant women with preexisting DM (30) had lower values of f-RVSF (p = 0.028), f-LVSF (p = 0.001), and f-TAPSE (p = 0.009) than normal fetuses. The f-TAPSE values were lower (p = 0.005) in IUGR group (17). The f-TASPSE values showed adequate reliability as well as good intra and interobserver concordance (CCC = 0.95 and 0.79, respectively).

Conclusion The reference ranges for f-TAPSE, f-RVSF, and f-LVSF using the STIC M-mode were established and had good reproducibility for f-TAPSE measurements.

 
  • References

  • 1 Crispi F, Gratacós E. Fetal cardiac function: technical considerations and potential research and clinical applications. Fetal Diagn Ther 2012; 32 (1–2): 47-64
  • 2 Rychik J, Tian Z, Bebbington M. , et al. The twin-twin transfusion syndrome: spectrum of cardiovascular abnormality and development of a cardiovascular score to assess severity of disease. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2007; 197 (04) 392.e1-392.e8
  • 3 Crispi F, Hernandez-Andrade E, Pelsers MM. , et al. Cardiac dysfunction and cell damage across clinical stages of severity in growth-restricted fetuses. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008; 199 (03) 254.e1-254.e8
  • 4 Van Mieghem T, Gucciardo L, Doné E. , et al. Left ventricular cardiac function in fetuses with congenital diaphragmatic hernia and the effect of fetal endoscopic tracheal occlusion. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2009; 34 (04) 424-429
  • 5 Germanakis I, Pepes S, Sifakis S, Gardiner H. Fetal longitudinal myocardial function assessment by anatomic M-mode. Fetal Diagn Ther 2012; 32 (1–2): 65-71
  • 6 Hernandez-Andrade E, Benavides-Serralde JA, Cruz-Martinez R, Welsh A, Mancilla-Ramirez J. Evaluation of conventional Doppler fetal cardiac function parameters: E/A ratios, outflow tracts, and myocardial performance index. Fetal Diagn Ther 2012; 32 (1–2): 22-29
  • 7 Godfrey ME, Messing B, Valsky DV, Cohen SM, Yagel S. Fetal cardiac function: M-mode and 4D spatiotemporal image correlation. Fetal Diagn Ther 2012; 32 (1–2): 17-21
  • 8 Hatém MA, Zielinsky P, Hatém DM. , et al. Assessment of diastolic ventricular function in fetuses of diabetic mothers using tissue Doppler. Cardiol Young 2008; 18 (03) 297-302
  • 9 Nassr AA, Youssef AA, Zakherah MS, Ismail AM, Brost BC. Clinical application of fetal left modified myocardial performance index in the evaluation of fetal growth restriction. J Perinat Med 2015; 43 (06) 749-754
  • 10 Kulkarni A, Li L, Craft M. , et al. Fetal myocardial deformation in maternal diabetes mellitus and obesity. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2017; 49 (05) 630-636
  • 11 Koestenberger M, Nagel B, Ravekes W. , et al. Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion and right ventricular ejection fraction in pediatric and adolescent patients with tetralogy of Fallot, patients with atrial septal defect, and age-matched normal subjects. Clin Res Cardiol 2011; 100 (01) 67-75
  • 12 Finocchiaro G, Knowles JW, Pavlovic A. , et al. Prevalence and clinical correlates of right ventricular dysfunction in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Am J Cardiol 2014; 113 (02) 361-367
  • 13 Ghio S, Pica S, Klersy C. , et al. Prognostic value of TAPSE after therapy optimisation in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension is independent of the haemodynamic effects of therapy. Open Heart 2016; 3 (01) e000408 . Doi: 10.1136/openhrt-2016-000408
  • 14 Fouda UM, Abou ElKassem MM, Hefny SM, Fouda RM, Hashem AT. Role of fetal echocardiography in the evaluation of structure and function of fetal heart in diabetic pregnancies. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2013; 26 (06) 571-575
  • 15 Messing B, Cohen SM, Valsky DV. , et al. Fetal cardiac ventricle volumetry in the second half of gestation assessed by 4D ultrasound using STIC combined with inversion mode. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2007; 30 (02) 142-151
  • 16 Simioni C, Nardozza LM, Araujo Júnior E. , et al. Heart stroke volume, cardiac output, and ejection fraction in 265 normal fetuses in the second half of gestation assessed by 4D ultrasound using spatio-temporal image correlation. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2011; 24 (09) 1159-1167
  • 17 Rizzo G, Capponi A, Pietrolucci ME, Arduini D. Role of sonographic automatic volume calculation in measuring fetal cardiac ventricular volumes using 4-dimensional sonography: comparison with virtual organ computer-aided analysis. J Ultrasound Med 2010; 29 (02) 261-270
  • 18 Messing B, Gilboa Y, Lipschuetz M, Valsky DV, Cohen SM, Yagel S. Fetal tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (f-TAPSE): evaluation of fetal right heart systolic function with conventional M-mode ultrasound and spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) M-mode. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2013; 42 (02) 182-188
  • 19 Tongsong T, Wanapirak C, Piyamongkol W. , et al. Fetal ventricular shortening fraction in hydrops fetalis. Obstet Gynecol 2011; 117 (01) 84-91
  • 20 Carvalho JS, Allan LD, Chaoui R. , et al; International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. ISUOG practice guidelines (updated): sonographic screening examination of the fetal heart. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2013; 41 (03) 348-359
  • 21 Phelan JP, Ahn MO, Smith CV, Rutherford SE, Anderson E. Amniotic fluid index measurements during pregnancy. J Reprod Med 1987; 32 (08) 601-604
  • 22 Hadlock FP, Harrist RB, Sharman RS, Deter RL, Park SK. Estimation of fetal weight with the use of head, body, and femur measurements--a prospective study. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1985; 151 (03) 333-337
  • 23 Gonçalves LF, Lee W, Espinoza J, Romero R. Examination of the fetal heart by four-dimensional (4D) ultrasound with spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC). Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2006; 27 (03) 336-348
  • 24 Paladini D. Standardization of on-screen fetal heart orientation prior to storage of spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC) volume datasets. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2007; 29 (06) 605-611
  • 25 Royston P. Constructing time-specific reference ranges. Stat Med 1991; 10 (05) 675-690
  • 26 Hadlock FP, Harrist RB, Martinez-Poyer J. In utero analysis of fetal growth: a sonographic weight standard. Radiology 1991; 181 (01) 129-133
  • 27 Arduini D, Rizzo G. Normal values of pulsatility index from fetal vessels: a cross-sectional study on 1556 healthy fetuses. J Perinat Med 1990; 18 (03) 165-172
  • 28 Altman DG, Chitty LS. Charts of fetal size: 1. Methodology. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 1994; 101 (01) 29-34
  • 29 Martins WP, Nastri CO. Interpreting reproducibility results for ultrasound measurements. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2014; 43 (04) 479-480
  • 30 Fouron JC, Proulx F, Miró J, Gosselin J. Doppler and M-mode ultrasonography to time fetal atrial and ventricular contractions. Obstet Gynecol 2000; 96 (5, Pt 1): 732-736
  • 31 Cruz-Lemini M, Crispi F, Valenzuela-Alcaraz B. , et al. Value of annular M-mode displacement vs tissue Doppler velocities to assess cardiac function in intrauterine growth restriction. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2013; 42 (02) 175-181
  • 32 Çağlar FN, Ozde C, Bostancı E. , et al. Assessment of right heart function in preeclampsia by echocardiography. Pregnancy Hypertens 2016; 6 (02) 89-94
  • 33 Zielinsky P, Luchese S, Manica JL. , et al. Left atrial shortening fraction in fetuses with and without myocardial hypertrophy in diabetic pregnancies. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2009; 33 (02) 182-187
  • 34 Barros FS, Rolo LC, Rocha LA. , et al. Reference ranges for the volumes of fetal cardiac ventricular walls by three-dimensional ultrasound using spatiotemporal image correlation and virtual organ computer-aided analysis and its validation in fetuses with congenital heart diseases. Prenat Diagn 2015; 35 (01) 65-73
  • 35 Rolo LC, Santana EF, da Silva PH. , et al. Fetal cardiac interventricular septum: volume assessment by 3D/4D ultrasound using spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC) and virtual organ computer-aided analysis (VOCAL). J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2015; 28 (12) 1388-1393
  • 36 Barros FS, Moron AF, Rolo LC. , et al. Fetal myocardial wall area: constructing a reference range by means of spatiotemporal image correlation in the rendering mode. Fetal Diagn Ther 2015; 37 (01) 44-50