title: Reproducibility of ultrasonic measurement of fetal cardiac haemodynamics.
abstract: Two observers made independent estimates of volume flow across all four heart valves in 27 fetuses using a combination of cross-sectional and Doppler echocardiography. There were considerable discrepancies between observers in volume flow estimation arising from inconsistency both in cross-sectional and in Doppler measurements. One observer also produced a second estimate by making new measurements from the original recordings. There was considerable within-observer variability which was mainly due to errors in cross-sectional measurements. The problems of applying this technique to fetal cardiac haemodynamics are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Princess Mary Maternity Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne.
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Beeby
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dunlop
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heads
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hunter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001810:Blood Volume / Q000502:physiology; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D005318:Fetal Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D015588:Observer Variation; D011247:Pregnancy; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal