TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessment of normal fetal liver blood flow using quantitative three-dimensional power Doppler ultrasound
AU - Chang, Chiung Hsin
AU - Yu, Chen Hsiang
AU - Ko, Huei Chen
AU - Chang, Fong Ming
AU - Chen, Hsi Yao
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported in part by grants to F-M. Chang and to C-H. Chang from the National Science Council, Taipei, Taiwan. The authors are grateful to Ms. Yueh-Chin Cheng and Yi-Jen Wang for their assistance.
Copyright:
Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2003/7/1
Y1 - 2003/7/1
N2 - Fetal liver blood flow is very important for fetal hemodynamics. To assess the development of fetal liver vascularization and blood flow in normal gestation, we measured the fetal liver vascularization and blood flow in normal fetuses using the three-dimensional (3-D) power Doppler ultrasound (US) and quantitative 3-D power Doppler histogram analysis. This study was undertaken with a prospective, cross-sectional design. In total, 196 normal singletons with gestational age between 20 and 40 weeks were included. The 3-D power Doppler US and the quantitative histogram analysis were used to assess the fetal liver vascularization index (VI), flow index (FI), vascularization-flow index (VFI) and mean greyness in each case. Our results showed that all the fetal liver VI, FI and VFI increased significantly with gestational age (GA), whereas, fetal liver mean greyness decreased with GA. Using GA as the independent variable, the linear regression equations for fetal liver VI, FI, VFI and mean greyness were VI = 0.5746 × GA - 5.8264 (r = 0.86, p < 0.0001), FI = 0.3291 × GA + 35.624 (r = 0.35, p < 0.001), VFI = 0.2905 × GA - 3.4871 (r = 0.82, p < 0.0001) and mean greyness = -0.2034 × GA + 42.315 (r = -0.20, p < 0.0001). In addition, fetal liver VI, FI, VFI and nean greyness were all significantly correlated with common fetal growth indexes, such as biparietal diameter, occipitofrontal diameter, head circumference, abdominal circumference, femur length and estimated fetal weight. Our study indicates that normal fetal liver vascularization and blood flow change significantly with the advancement of GA as well as fetal growth indexes. We believe our data may serve as a reference for further studies of fetal liver blood flow in abnormal conditions.
AB - Fetal liver blood flow is very important for fetal hemodynamics. To assess the development of fetal liver vascularization and blood flow in normal gestation, we measured the fetal liver vascularization and blood flow in normal fetuses using the three-dimensional (3-D) power Doppler ultrasound (US) and quantitative 3-D power Doppler histogram analysis. This study was undertaken with a prospective, cross-sectional design. In total, 196 normal singletons with gestational age between 20 and 40 weeks were included. The 3-D power Doppler US and the quantitative histogram analysis were used to assess the fetal liver vascularization index (VI), flow index (FI), vascularization-flow index (VFI) and mean greyness in each case. Our results showed that all the fetal liver VI, FI and VFI increased significantly with gestational age (GA), whereas, fetal liver mean greyness decreased with GA. Using GA as the independent variable, the linear regression equations for fetal liver VI, FI, VFI and mean greyness were VI = 0.5746 × GA - 5.8264 (r = 0.86, p < 0.0001), FI = 0.3291 × GA + 35.624 (r = 0.35, p < 0.001), VFI = 0.2905 × GA - 3.4871 (r = 0.82, p < 0.0001) and mean greyness = -0.2034 × GA + 42.315 (r = -0.20, p < 0.0001). In addition, fetal liver VI, FI, VFI and nean greyness were all significantly correlated with common fetal growth indexes, such as biparietal diameter, occipitofrontal diameter, head circumference, abdominal circumference, femur length and estimated fetal weight. Our study indicates that normal fetal liver vascularization and blood flow change significantly with the advancement of GA as well as fetal growth indexes. We believe our data may serve as a reference for further studies of fetal liver blood flow in abnormal conditions.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0038444322&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0038444322&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0301-5629(03)00909-8
DO - 10.1016/S0301-5629(03)00909-8
M3 - Article
C2 - 12878239
AN - SCOPUS:0038444322
SN - 0301-5629
VL - 29
SP - 943
EP - 949
JO - Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology
JF - Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology
IS - 7
ER -