Department of Information and Communications Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Tànger, 122-140 08018, Barcelona, Spain.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital del Mar, Passeig Marítim, 25-29 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader, 88 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
Early Hum Dev. 2024 Jun;193:106021. doi: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2024.106021. Epub 2024 Apr 26.
Fetal face measurements in prenatal ultrasound can aid in identifying craniofacial abnormalities in the developing fetus. However, the accuracy and reliability of ultrasound measurements can be affected by factors such as fetal position, image quality, and the sonographer's expertise. This study assesses the accuracy and reliability of fetal facial measurements in prenatal ultrasound. Additionally, the temporal evolution of measurements is studied, comparing prenatal and postnatal measurements.
Three different experts located up to 23 facial landmarks in 49 prenatal 3D ultrasound scans from normal Caucasian fetuses at weeks 20, 26, and 35 of gestation. Intra- and inter-observer variability was obtained. Postnatal facial measurements were also obtained at 15 days and 1 month postpartum.
Most facial landmarks exhibited low errors, with overall intra- and inter-observer errors of 1.01 mm and 1.60 mm, respectively. Landmarks on the nose were found to be the most reliable, while the most challenging ones were those located on the ears and eyes. Overall, scans obtained at 26 weeks of gestation presented the best trade-off between observer variability and landmark visibility. The temporal evolution of the measurements revealed that the lower face area had the highest rate of growth throughout the latest stages of pregnancy.
Craniofacial landmarks can be evaluated using 3D fetal ultrasound, especially those located on the nose, mouth, and chin. Despite its limitations, this study provides valuable insights into prenatal and postnatal biometric changes over time, which could aid in developing predictive models for postnatal measurements based on prenatal data.
产前超声中的胎儿面部测量可帮助识别发育中胎儿的颅面畸形。然而，超声测量的准确性和可靠性可能受到胎儿位置、图像质量和超声医师专业知识等因素的影响。本研究评估了产前超声中胎儿面部测量的准确性和可靠性。此外，还研究了测量的时间演变，比较了产前和产后测量。
三位不同的专家在 49 例正常白人胎儿的 20、26 和 35 孕周的 3D 产前超声扫描中定位了多达 23 个面部标志点。获得了内-观察者和外-观察者的变异性。产后还在 15 天和 1 个月时进行了面部测量。
大多数面部标志点的误差较小，总体内-观察者和外-观察者误差分别为 1.01mm 和 1.60mm。鼻子上的标志点被认为是最可靠的，而耳朵和眼睛上的标志点则是最具挑战性的。总体而言，在 26 孕周获得的扫描在观察者变异性和标志点可见性之间呈现出最佳的权衡。测量的时间演变表明，整个妊娠后期，下面部区域的生长速度最快。
可以使用 3D 胎儿超声评估颅面标志点，特别是位于鼻子、嘴和下巴的标志点。尽管存在局限性，但本研究提供了关于产前和产后随时间变化的生物测量变化的有价值的见解，这可能有助于基于产前数据开发用于产后测量的预测模型。
