Advanced imaging of fetal cardiac function

Henriette Kühle; Steven K S Cho; Nathaniel Barber; Datta Singh Goolaub; Jack R T Darby; Janna L Morrison; Christoph Haller; Liqun Sun; Mike Seed

doi:10.3389/fcvm.2023.1206138

Advanced imaging of fetal cardiac function

Front Cardiovasc Med. 2023 May 23:10:1206138. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2023.1206138. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Henriette Kühle^{1

2

3}, Steven K S Cho^{1

4

5}, Nathaniel Barber¹, Datta Singh Goolaub⁶, Jack R T Darby⁵, Janna L Morrison^{4

5

7}, Christoph Haller³, Liqun Sun^{1

6}, Mike Seed^{1

4

6

7

8}

Affiliations

¹ Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
² Department of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery, University Hospital Magdeburg, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.
³ Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Pediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁴ Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁵ Early Origins of Adult Health Research Group, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
⁶ Translational Medicine Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁷ Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁸ Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Abstract

Over recent decades, a variety of advanced imaging techniques for assessing cardiovascular physiology and cardiac function in adults and children have been applied in the fetus. In many cases, technical development has been required to allow feasibility in the fetus, while an appreciation of the unique physiology of the fetal circulation is required for proper interpretation of the findings. This review will focus on recent advances in fetal echocardiography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), providing examples of their application in research and clinical settings. We will also consider future directions for these technologies, including their ongoing technical development and potential clinical value.

Keywords: echocardiography; fetal cardiac function; magnetic resonance imaging; speckle tracking; strain.

Publication types

Review