3D ultrasound evaluation of fetal ears in prenatal syndrome diagnosis - a comparative study.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to assess fetal ears on prenatal 3D ultrasound and compare ear surface patterns and measurements between fetuses with syndromes and healthy fetuses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our study is based on 3D ultrasound images of 100 fetuses between the 20th and 37th week of gestation. We compared 50 ears of fetuses with syndromes (syndrome group) to 50 gestational age-matched ears of healthy fetuses (control group). The syndrome group consisted of fetuses with Trisomy 21 (n=13), Trisomy 18 (n=9) and other syndromes (n=28). The evaluation was based on measuring the ear length and width as well as developing categories to describe and compare different ear surface anomalies. RESULTS: Ears of fetuses with Trisomy 18 were on average 0.423 cm smaller in length (P<0.001) and 0.123 cm smaller in width (P=0.031) and grew on average 0.046 cm less in length per week of gestation (P=0.027) than those of healthy fetuses. Ears of fetuses with Trisomy 21 differed from healthy fetuses regarding the form of the helix (P=0.013) and the ratio of the concha to the auricle (P=0.037). Fetuses with syndromes demonstrated less ear surface details than their controls (syndrome group: P=0.018, P=0.005; other syndromes subgroup: P=0.020). We saw an increased richness of ear surface details at a later gestational age both in the fetuses with syndromes and the healthy fetuses. CONCLUSION: Ears of fetuses with Trisomy 18 were smaller than their matched controls. Fetuses with syndromes varied in the evaluation of their ear surface from those of healthy fetuses. The ear surface can be analyzed with 3D ultrasound and might be useful as a screening parameter in syndrome diagnosis in the future.

Creating a Telemedicine Network of Specialists in Maternal-Fetal Medicine: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Even before coronavirus disease 2019, integrating telemedicine into routine health care has become increasingly attractive. Evidence regarding the benefits of telemedicine in prenatal care is still inconclusive. As one of the largest sectors of preventive medicine with a relative paucity of specialists in maternal-fetal medicine (MFM), the implementation of telemedicine solutions into prenatal care is promising. Our objective aimed at establishing a telemedicine network of specialists in MFM for interprofessional exchange regarding high-risk pregnancies. Furthermore, the aims were to evaluate the providers' attitude toward the telemedicine solutions and to quantify the number of inpatient appointments that were avoided through interprofessional video consultations. Methods: This prospective trial was part of a larger telemedicine project funded by the European Regional Development Fund. MFM experts were brought together using the ELVI software. A questionnaire was designed for the evaluation of video consultations. The responses were analyzed by the exact McNemar-Bowker test to compare planned procedures before and after video consultation. Results: An interprofessional network of specialists in prenatal ultrasound was established with a total of 140 evaluations for statistical analysis. Interprofessional video communication was viewed favorably by providers. Overall, 47% (33/70) of the scheduled visits were avoided after video consultation. The providers' tendency to refrain from sending their patients to the University Hospital Münster was statistically noticeable (p = 0.048). Conclusions: Interprofessional exchange through video consultation holds great potential in the context of prenatal care. More prospective research is needed to clearly establish the most beneficial standard of care for both patients and providers. Clinical trial registration number: 2019-683-f-S.

3D Ultrasound Evaluation of the Fetal Outer Ear: Novel Biometry Ratio and Comparison of Different Surface Display Modes.

BACKGROUND: The examination of the fetal ear is a promising but still challenging approach in prenatal diagnosis. OBJECTIVES: This study investigated a novel ear length/width ratio based on anatomical landmarks. Additionally, we compared different 3D ultrasound surface rendering modes regarding their potential to depict detailed structures of the outer ear. METHOD: We measured both the ear length and width of 118 fetal ears from 20 to 40 weeks of gestation to establish a length/width ratio. Additionally, we rendered the volumes in three different surface display modes and one adapted light position. Each image was scored regarding the visibility of distinct structures of the ear relief and indicator scores were evaluated for each mode. RESULTS: The median of the length/width ratio was 1.9 with a slight decline over the gestational period. The overall visibility of the ear structures differed noticeably between the four surface display modes (p < 0.001). The post hoc comparison showed that the display mode "TrueVue" resulted in the highest indicator scores. CONCLUSION: The length/width ratio based on anatomical landmarks of the ear could prospectively be used as a marker in syndrome detection. The study showed a superiority of the surface display mode "TrueVue" for examination of the detailed ear structures.