title: Fetal cardiac output and ejection fraction by spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC): comparison between male and female fetuses.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the cardiac output (CO) and ejection fraction (EF) of the heart of male and female fetuses obtained by 3D-ultrasonography using spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC).
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a cross-sectional study with 216 normal fetuses, between 20 and 34 weeks of gestation, 108 male and 108 female. Ventricular volumes at the end of systole and diastole were obtained by STIC, and the volumetric assessments performed by the virtual organ computer-aided analysis (VOCAL) rotated 30º. To calculate the DC used the formula: DC = stroke volume / fetal heart rate, while for the FE used the formula: EF = stroke volume / end-diastolic volume. The DC (combined male and female) and EF (male and female) were compared using the unpaired t test and ANCOVA. Scatter plots were created with the percentiles 5, 50 and 95.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average of DC combined, DC left, DC right, FE right and FE left, male and female were 240.07 mL/min, 122.67 mL/min, 123.40 mL/min, 72.84%, 67.22%, 270.56 mL/ min, 139.22 mL/min, 131.34 mL/min, 70.73% and 64.76% respectively, without statistical difference (P> 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The fetal CO and EF obtained by 3Dultrasonography (STIC) showed no significant difference in relation to gender.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Obstetrícia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Simioni
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Araujo Júnior
authors.forename: Wellington P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: Liliam Cristine
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Rolo
authors.forename: Luciane Alves da
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Luciano Marcondes Machado
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Nardozza
authors.forename: Antonio Fernandes
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Moron
mesh_terms: D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000502:physiology*; D019560:Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005318:Fetal Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors; D062211:Spatio-Temporal Analysis; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods*