ObjectiveTo explore the application of spot tracking technique in the diagnosis of fetal aortic coarctation.

MethodsNinety-six fetuses diagnosed as suspected aortic coarctation by the last echocardiography before delivery were selected.According to the fetus needed aortic constriction or not in the first week after delivery, they were divided into aortic constriction group and non-aortic constriction group(false positive).At the same time, 200 healthy fetuses were selected as the control group.After the conventional echocardiographic pa rameters were measured, the two-dimensional image was used for spot tracking technique analysis, and the relevant parameters were measured and calculated.The mean and standard deviation of the above-mentioned ultrasound parameters of healthy fetuses in the control group were used as the reference, the Z score of 96 fetuses with suspected aortic coarctation was calculated according to the formula.Finally, logistic regression analysis was used to identify the variables that separate the aortic coarctation group from the false positive group.

Results46.88%(45/96) of 96 fetuses with suspected coarctation of the aorta were diagnosed as the postpartum aortic coarctation.Another 53.13%(51/96) did not have aortic coarctation after delivery and 1-2-year follow-up.The proportion of fetuses diagnosed with other cardiovascular abnormalities in the aortic coarctation group was significantly higher than that in the false positive group(P < 0.05).The logistic regression analysis identified 28 variable sets, R² was 0.76.The model predicted aortic coarctation with the sensitivity of 95.56%, the specificity of 96.08%, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.982(95%CI=0.832-0.998).

ConclusionsSpot tracking technique analysis of multiple echocardiographic measurements can help further diagnose the fetuses with suspected aortic coarctation in the prenatal examinations.