Normal fetal urine production rate estimated with 3-dimensional ultrasonography using the rotational technique (virtual organ computer-aided analysis).
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to assess hourly fetal urine production rates (HFUPRs) and establish a nomogram by measuring bladder volumes with 3-dimensional ultrasound.


METHODS
Fetal urine bladder volume was estimated in 167 normal singleton pregnancies with neither oligohydramnios nor polyhydramnios, at a gestational age of 20-41 weeks. HFUPR was estimated in a regression analysis that included at least 3 volumes calculated during the filling phase with the Virtual Organ Computed-aided AnaLysis (VOCAL) technique. We estimated interoperator variability for HFUPR less than 10 mL/h and HFUPR greater than 10 mL/h.


RESULTS
Fetal urine production rates at 25, 30, 35, and 40 weeks were 7.5, 22.2, 56.1, and 125.1 mL/h, respectively. The intraclass correlation coefficients for interoperator variability were 99.2% for HFUPR less than 10 mL/hour and 97.1% for HFUPR greater than 10 mL/h.


CONCLUSIONS
Prenatal measurement of HFUPR with 3-dimensional VOCAL ultrasound is reproducible and may help to determine the cause and prognosis of amniotic fluid volume abnormalities.
Touboul
Cyril
C
Service de Gynécologie-Obstétrique et Médecine de la Reproduction, Hôpital Antoine Béclère, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, and Université Paris-Sud, Clamart, France.
Boulvain
Michel
M
Picone
Olivier
O
Levaillant
Jean-Marc
JM
Frydman
René
R
Senat
Marie-Victoire
MV
D000328:Adult; D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000502:physiology*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D015588:Observer Variation; D016104:Oligohydramnios / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006831:Polyhydramnios / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods*; D014556:Urine