Assessment of fetus during second trimester ultrasonography using HDlive software: What is its real application in the obstetrics clinical practice?

AIM To show imaging results from application of four-dimensional (4D) ultrasound lightening technique (HDlive™) in clinical obstetrics practice. METHODS Normal and abnormal fetuses at second and third trimester of pregnancy undergoing routine scan with 4D HDlive™ (5DUS) in the rendering mode are described. Realistic features of fetal structures were provided by 5DUS in the rendering mode. Normal anatomy as well as pathology like cleft lip, hypoplastic face, micrognathia, low-set ears, corpus callosum, arthrogryposis, aortic arch, left congenital diaphragmatic hernia are highlighted in this study. Anatomical details of the fetuses were provided by 5DUS with higher quality imaging modality compared to those obtained using conventional 2D/3D ultrasound. RESULTS Realistic views of fetal anatomy details were displayed by means of 5DUS in the rendering mode, with high image quality obtained either in low-risk or in high-risk obstetrics population. Corpus callosum, esophagus, and aortic arch were obtained in normal fetuses. Cleft lip, cleft lip and palate, micrognathia, hypoplastic face, low-set ears, arthrogryposis, left congenital diaphragmatic hernia, exomphalos, and clitoris hypertrophy were clearly rendered by 5DUS application. CONCLUSION The use of 5DUS in the rendering mode, when clinical available, was diagnostic in a variety of congenital anomalies, aided understanding of the parents-to-be and improved prenatal counseling and perinatal management.