title: Early pregnancy placental bed and fetal vascular volume measurements using 3-D virtual reality.
abstract: In this study, a new 3-D Virtual Reality (3D VR) technique for examining placental and uterine vasculature was investigated. The validity of placental bed vascular volume (PBVV) and fetal vascular volume (FVV) measurements was assessed and associations of PBVV and FVV with embryonic volume, crown-rump length, fetal birth weight and maternal parity were investigated. One hundred thirty-two patients were included in this study, and measurements were performed in 100 patients. Using V-Scope software, 100 3-D Power Doppler data sets of 100 pregnancies at 12 wk of gestation were analyzed with 3D VR in the I-Space Virtual Reality system. Volume measurements were performed with semi-automatic, pre-defined parameters. The inter-observer and intra-observer agreement was excellent with all intra-class correlation coefficients >0.93. PBVVs of multiparous women were significantly larger than the PBVVs of primiparous women (p = 0.008). In this study, no other associations were found. In conclusion, V-Scope offers a reproducible method for measuring PBVV and FVV at 12 wk of gestation, although we are unsure whether the volume measured represents the true volume of the vasculature. Maternal parity influences PBVV.
authors.affiliation: Division of Obstetrics and Prenatal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: A.reus@erasmusmc.nl.
authors.forename: Averil D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Reus
authors.affiliation: Division of Obstetrics and Prenatal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Josine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klop-van der Aa
authors.affiliation: Division of Obstetrics and Prenatal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Maria S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Rifouna
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioinformatics, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Anton H J
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Koning
authors.affiliation: Division of Obstetrics and Prenatal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Niek
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Exalto
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioinformatics, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: van der Spek
authors.affiliation: Division of Obstetrics and Prenatal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Eric A P
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Steegers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001811:Blood Volume Determination / Q000379:methods; D018568:Crown-Rump Length; D005260:Female; D020567:Fetal Weight / Q000502:physiology; D005333:Fetus / Q000098:blood supply*; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D010920:Placenta / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler / Q000379:methods; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods*; D014584:User-Computer Interface
keywords: 3-D Power Doppler ultrasonography; Barco I-Space; Placental bed vascular volume; Placental vascularization; Virtual Reality