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Isolated tortuous ductus arteriosus in a fetus: HDlive Flow with spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) study

  • Toshiyuki Hata EMAIL logo , Tomomi Kawahara , Miyu Konishi , Saori Bouno , Tomomi Yamanishi , Aya Koyanagi and Takahito Miyake
Published/Copyright: January 30, 2023
Journal of Perinatal Medicine
From the journal Journal of Perinatal Medicine Volume 51 Issue 6

Abstract

Objectives

To describe prevalence, outcome, color Doppler, and HDlive Flow (Silhouette) with spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) features of isolated tortuous ductus arteriosus in Japanese fetuses at 28–31 + 6 weeks of gestation.

Methods

During a 37-month period, 3,150 fetal screenings were performed at 28–31 + 6 weeks of gestation. Isolated tortuous ductus arteriosus was evaluated using color Doppler and HDlive Flow (Silhouette) with STIC. Prevalence and outcomes were also assessed.

Results

There were 22/3,150 fetuses (0.7%) had isolated tortuous ductus arteriosus at 28–31 + 6 weeks of gestation. According to color Doppler and HDlive Flow findings, two types of isolated tortuous ductus arteriosus (Right-angled and Loop shapes) were classified. There were 20 Right-angled and 2 Loop shapes. One fetus with a Right-angled shape was associated with aortic tortuosity. HDlive Flow with STIC revealed spatial relationships of tortuous ductus arteriosus, aortic arch, and descending aorta. All fetuses with isolated tortuous ductus arteriosus had good neonatal outcomes.

Conclusions

The incidence of isolated tortuous ductus arteriosus in Japanese fetuses was low compared with those in previous reports. HDlive Flow with STIC provides precise information for spatial recognition and differentiation of isolated tortuous ductus arteriosus, resulting in two type classifications. Isolated tortuous ductus arteriosus in a fetus may be a transient, benign finding in utero.

Keywords: color Doppler; ductus arteriosus tortuosity; fetus; HDlive Flow; HDlive Flow Silhouette; STIC
Corresponding author: Toshiyuki Hata, MD, PhD, Special Adviser, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Miyake Clinic, 369-8 Ofuku, Minami-ku, Okayama 701-0204, Japan; and Professor Emeritus, Department of Perinatology and Gynecology, Kagawa University Graduate School of Medicine, 1750-1 Ikenobe, Miki, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan, Phone: +81 (0)87 891 2174, Fax: +81 (0)87 891 2175, E-mail:

  1. Research funding: None declared.

  2. Author contribution: TH: study design and coordination, supervision of the study, acquisition and validation of the data, analyze and interpretation of the data, and writing of the manuscript. TK: study design and coordination, and acquisition and validation of the data. MK: acquisition and validation of the data. SB: acquisition and validation of the data. TY: acquisition and validation of the data. AK: acquisition and validation of the data. TM: study design and coordination, and supervision of the study. All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  3. Competing interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

  4. Informed consent: All participants provided informed consent after a full explanation of the aim of the study.

  5. Ethical approval: The study was conducted following approval by the Ethics Committee of Miyake Clinic.

References

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Supplementary Material

This article contains supplementary material (https://doi.org/10.1515/jpm-2022-0522).

Received: 2022-10-29
Accepted: 2022-12-22
Published Online: 2023-01-30
Published in Print: 2023-07-26

© 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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  19. Original Articles – Fetus
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https://doi.org/10.1515/jpm-2022-0522
Keywords for this article
color Doppler; ductus arteriosus tortuosity; fetus; HDlive Flow; HDlive Flow Silhouette; STIC

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Editorial
  3. Stem cells in perinatal medicine
  4. Articles – Stem Cells in Perinatal Medicine
  5. Stem-cell therapy in neonates – an option?
  6. Stem cell programming – prospects for perinatal medicine
  7. Cerebral palsy – brain repair with stem cells
  8. Perinatal brain damage – what the obstetrician needs to know
  9. Stem cells in HIV infection
  10. Stem cells for treating retinal degeneration
  11. Work with embryonic stem cells – legal considerations
  12. Original Articles – Obstetrics
  13. Rapid diagnosis of intra-amniotic infection using nanopore-based sequencing
  14. Maintenance tocolysis, tocolysis in preterm premature rupture of membranes and in cervical cerclage – a Germany-wide survey on the current practice after dissemination of the German guideline
  15. The impact of cerclage placement on gestational length in women with premature cervical shortening
  16. Preterm prelabor rupture of membranes in singletons: maternal and neonatal outcomes
  17. Risk factors for shunting at 12 months following open fetal repair of spina bifida by mini-hysterotomy
  18. Isolated tortuous ductus arteriosus in a fetus: HDlive Flow with spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) study
  19. Original Articles – Fetus
  20. Assessment of fetal heart aortic and pulmonary valve annulus area by three-dimensional ultrasonography: reference curves and applicability in congenital heart diseases
  21. Feasibility of extended ultrasound examination of the fetal brain between 24 and 37 weeks’ gestation in low-risk pregnancies
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