ABSTRACT
Background Three-and four-dimensional (3D/4D) applications in fetal ultrasound scanning have made impressive strides in the past three decades, with particularly dramatic improvement in fetal echocardiography. Recent technological developments in motion-gated scanning allow almost real-time 3D/4D cardiac examination. It appears that 3D/4D ultrasound applications will make a significant contribution to our understanding of the developing fetal heart in both normal and anomalous cases, to interdisciplinary management team consultation, to parental counseling, and to professional training. 3D/4D echocardiography may facilitate screening methods, and with its offline networking capabilities may improve health-care delivery systems by extending the benefits of prenatal cardiac screening to poorly served areas. The introduction of “virtual planes” to fetal cardiac scanning has helped sonographers obtain views of the fetal heart not generally accessible with a standard two-dimensional (2D) approach. There is no doubt that 3D/4D gives us another look at the fetal heart.
