New method for tracking fetal breathing movements using real-time pulsed Doppler ultrasonographic displacement measurement.

To develop a clinical device for monitoring FBM with a simplified mechanism, the multichannel pulsed Doppler device was achieved by modifying the ultrasonographic module and probe of a cardiotocograph. A new algorithm of signal processing with a high-accuracy displacement estimation technique produced real-time and continuous displacement calculations. In vivo measurements demonstrated that real-time output produced commendable quality in FBM tracking. The displacement of a few hundred micrometers because of FBM was measured successfully. The results suggest that quantitative assessments of FBM should be possible with this technique.