Prenatal diagnosis of Ebstein's anomaly using spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC) and inversion mode.
BACKGROUND
Ebstein's anomaly is a rare cardiac defect where the septal and posterior leaflets are displaced, towards the right ventricle. The leaflets are dysplastic and stuck to the ventricular wall. Its antenatal diagnosis is usually made through bidimensional echocardiography, which also has prognostic value. Recently, the technological breakthrough of three-dimensional ultrasound (3D-US) offered new diagnostic tools for congenital heart defects, less dependent on the ultrasonographer experience, when compared to two-dimensional ultrasound (2D-US). The spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC) technique allows the acquisition of the fetal heart volume and its structures as a 4D cineloop sequence showing the complete cardiac cycle. Inversion mode is a new image analysis tool for the examination of fluid-filled fetal structures that inverts the gray scale.


METHODS
We present a case of Ebstein's anomaly diagnosed at 26 weeks of pregnancy through bidimensional echocardiography. We emphasize its main findings in 3D-US using the STIC and inversion mode techniques.
Araujo Júnior
Edward
E
Department of Obstetrics, São Paulo Federal University (UNIFESP-EPM), São Paulo, SP, Brazil. araujojred@terra.com.br
de Bussamra
Luiz Cláudio
LC
Barros
Fernanda Silveira Bello
FS
Britto
Ingrid Schwach Werneck
IS
Aoki
Tsutomo
T
Pires
Claudio Rodrigues
CR
Nowak
Paulo Martin
PM
Nardozza
Luciano Marcondes Machado
LM
Moron
Antonio Fernandes
AF
D000328:Adult; D004437:Ebstein Anomaly / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D050497:Stillbirth; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods*