Fetal Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance: A Comparison of Doppler Ultrasound and Self-Gating Techniques

Fetal cardiovascular magnetic resonance requires an accurate measure of the fetal heart rate for cine image acquisitions. In this work, we compared the use of Doppler ultrasound with a self-gating technique in 8 subjects. Images were acquired in the axial and short-axis orientations of the fetal heart, and the images were compared with qualitative scoring, heart rate analysis, and ventricular volumes. It was found that the techniques had only minor differences demonstrating the potential use of retrospective self-gating in the clinic, as it reduces workflow complexity and may lead to shorter exam times for pregnant women.