title: Assessment of fetal behavior using four-dimensional ultrasonography: current knowledge and perspectives.
abstract: In the last decades, the development of real-time ultrasonography has allowed the direct view of the fetus in the uterus, as well as assessing its activity. The advent of three-dimensional ultrasonography (3D) at the end of the 80s initiated a new era in diagnostic imaging for Obstetrics, dramatically increasing the possibility of studying the fetus. Recently, a new technique allowing the 3D image to be transformed into real-time was introduced: the four-dimensional (4D) ultrasonography. It allows the continuous monitoring of fetal face and other surface areas, such as the extremities. Some studies have already assessed this new methodology for fetal behavior observation during different stages of pregnancy, trying to understand better the relationship between fetal central nervous system maturation and the implications for its behavior. In this article, the authors review the current use of 4D ultrasonography in the assessment of fetal behavior, and discuss the possibilities of the technique to show the neurological development of the fetus, by means of watching movement and facial expressions. They also highlight the potential applicability of this new method in this new research area of fetal medicine.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Obstetrícia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Hélio Antonio
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Guimarães Filho
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Araujo Júnior
authors.forename: Carlos Fernando de
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Mello Júnior
authors.forename: Luciano Marcondes Machado
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Nardozza
authors.forename: Antonio Fernandes
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Moron
mesh_terms: D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000196:embryology; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D005324:Fetal Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Comportamento fetal; Consciência fetal; Fetal awareness; Fetal behavior; Four-dimensional ultrasonography; Ultrassonografia de quarta dimensão