Objective To observe the ultrasonic manifestations of abdominal pregnancy.Methods Ultrasonic and clinical data of 18 pregnant woman with abdominal pregnancy diagnosed by operation and pathology were retrospectively analyzed.Results Among 15 cases in first trimester,no preoperative ultrasonic diagnosis of abdominal pregnancy was obtained.Ultrasound showed no gestational sac in uterine cavity but mass in pelvic cavity,which located in the adnexal region in 8 cases,in the front and the post of uterus each in 2 cases,while in the adnexal region and the front of uterus in 1 case,in the post of the cervix in 1 case,and closed to uterine wall in 1 case,without obvious tubal echo around mass in all 15 cases.There were 2 cases of abdominal pregnancy in the second trimester,which were first diagnosed with ultrasound at 13+6 weeks and 21 weeks,with gestational sac located on the left side of uterus and behind the uterus,respectively.One case of abdominal pregnancy in the third trimester was first diagnosed with ultrasound at 35 4 weeks,with gestational sac located on the right side of uterus.Ultrasonic manifestations of the above three cases all showed gestational sac located outside the uterus without myometrium wrapping around the gestational sac nor placenta implanted in uterus,while echoes of fluid accumulation were detected around fetus.The ultrasonic diagnosis rate of abdominal pregnancy was 16.67％(3/18).Conclusion In the first trimester,if the ectopic pregnancy mass was large or the gestational sac located adjacent to the cervix,anterior or posterior to uterus and on the uterine wall,also no fallopian tube-like echo around the mass,the possibility of abdominal pregnancy should be considered.Ultrasonic manifestations of abdominal pregnancy in the second and third trimester present as gestational sac outside uterine cavity without wrapping uterine muscle layer around,no placenta implantation in uterine cavity,as well as echoes of fluid accumulation around fetus.Transabdominal combined with transvaginal ultrasound could improve diagnostic rate of abdominal pregnancy.

Objective:To evaluate the changes in left ventricular structure and function in pregnant women with different severities of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy（HDP）using conventional echocardiographic parameters，strain，and tissue-tracking mitral annulus displacement（TMAD）parameters，and to validate and compare the application value of strain and TMAD parameters.Methods:A total of 148 singleton pregnant women with HDP and 100 healthy pregnant women（HP group）who attended the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from October 2023 to July 2024 were selected. Conventional echocardiographic parameters，strain，and TMAD parameters were collected. Based on the severity of the disease，HDP patients were divided into the gestational hypertension group（GH group， n=49），non-severe preeclampsia group（NSPE group， n=35），and severe preeclampsia group（SPE group， n=64）. The differences in various parameters between the HP，GH，NSPE，and SPE groups were compared. The correlation between the displacement ratio of the midpoint of the mitral valve annulus in the apical 4-chamber（AP4 Midpt%），the displacement ratio of the midpoint of the mitral valve annulus in the apical 2-chamber（AP2 Midpt%）and left ventricular global longitudinal strain（LVGLS）were analyzed，and ROC curves were plotted to analyze and compare the diagnostic efficacies of LVGLS，AP4 Midpt% and AP2 Midpt% for left ventricular function changes in HDP pregnant women. Results:① The analysis revealed no statistically significant differences in maternal age and height between the HP group and the HDP subgroups（all P>0.05）. In contrast，statistically significant differences were observed in gestational age，systolic blood pressure，diastolic blood pressure，body mass index，and body surface area（all P<0.05）. Additionally，significant differences were noted in left ventricular mass，left ventricular interventricular septum thickness at end-diastole，left ventricular posterior wall thickness at end-diastole，left ventricular end-diastolic dimension，left ventricular end-systolic dimension，left ventricular end-diastolic volume，left ventricular end-systolic volume，and stroke volume between the HP group and the HDP subgroups（all P<0.05），while the difference in left ventricular ejection fraction was not statistically significant（ P>0.05）. ② Significant differences were identified in strain and TMAD parameters between the HP group and the HDP subgroups（all P<0.05），with LVGLS，AP4 Midpt% and AP2 Midpt% exhibited the largest effect sizes（ η p2=0.457，0.453，0.351）. A progressive decline in strain and TMAD parameters was observed as the severity of HDP increased. ③ There were strong positive correlations between AP4 Midpt%，AP2 Midpt% and LVGLS（ r=0.752，0.747；all P<0.001）. ④ LVGLS，AP4 Midpt% and AP2 Midpt% all demonstrated significant diagnostic efficacies for changes in left ventricular function in HDP（AUC=0.840，0.847，0.791），and the differences in AUC among the 3 curves were not statistically significant（all P>0.05）.⑤ The success rate of collecting TMAD parameters was significantly higher than that of strain parameters（99.24% vs. 93.58%， P<0.001）. Conclusions:As the severity of the disease worsens，the changes of left ventricular structure and function in pregnant women with HDP become more and more significant. Both strain and TMAD parameters can early and sensitively identify the subclinical damage of left ventricular systolic function in HDP pregnant women，and both of them have the same diagnostic value. TMAD parameters can be used as a reliable substitute parameter of LVGLS in HDP pregnant women.

Objective To observe the ultrasonic manifestations of abdominal pregnancy.Methods Ultrasonic and clinical data of 18 pregnant woman with abdominal pregnancy diagnosed by operation and pathology were retrospectively analyzed.Results Among 15 cases in first trimester,no preoperative ultrasonic diagnosis of abdominal pregnancy was obtained.Ultrasound showed no gestational sac in uterine cavity but mass in pelvic cavity,which located in the adnexal region in 8 cases,in the front and the post of uterus each in 2 cases,while in the adnexal region and the front of uterus in 1 case,in the post of the cervix in 1 case,and closed to uterine wall in 1 case,without obvious tubal echo around mass in all 15 cases.There were 2 cases of abdominal pregnancy in the second trimester,which were first diagnosed with ultrasound at 13+6 weeks and 21 weeks,with gestational sac located on the left side of uterus and behind the uterus,respectively.One case of abdominal pregnancy in the third trimester was first diagnosed with ultrasound at 35 4 weeks,with gestational sac located on the right side of uterus.Ultrasonic manifestations of the above three cases all showed gestational sac located outside the uterus without myometrium wrapping around the gestational sac nor placenta implanted in uterus,while echoes of fluid accumulation were detected around fetus.The ultrasonic diagnosis rate of abdominal pregnancy was 16.67％(3/18).Conclusion In the first trimester,if the ectopic pregnancy mass was large or the gestational sac located adjacent to the cervix,anterior or posterior to uterus and on the uterine wall,also no fallopian tube-like echo around the mass,the possibility of abdominal pregnancy should be considered.Ultrasonic manifestations of abdominal pregnancy in the second and third trimester present as gestational sac outside uterine cavity without wrapping uterine muscle layer around,no placenta implantation in uterine cavity,as well as echoes of fluid accumulation around fetus.Transabdominal combined with transvaginal ultrasound could improve diagnostic rate of abdominal pregnancy.

Objective:To evaluate the changes in left ventricular structure and function in pregnant women with different severities of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy（HDP）using conventional echocardiographic parameters，strain，and tissue-tracking mitral annulus displacement（TMAD）parameters，and to validate and compare the application value of strain and TMAD parameters.Methods:A total of 148 singleton pregnant women with HDP and 100 healthy pregnant women（HP group）who attended the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from October 2023 to July 2024 were selected. Conventional echocardiographic parameters，strain，and TMAD parameters were collected. Based on the severity of the disease，HDP patients were divided into the gestational hypertension group（GH group， n=49），non-severe preeclampsia group（NSPE group， n=35），and severe preeclampsia group（SPE group， n=64）. The differences in various parameters between the HP，GH，NSPE，and SPE groups were compared. The correlation between the displacement ratio of the midpoint of the mitral valve annulus in the apical 4-chamber（AP4 Midpt%），the displacement ratio of the midpoint of the mitral valve annulus in the apical 2-chamber（AP2 Midpt%）and left ventricular global longitudinal strain（LVGLS）were analyzed，and ROC curves were plotted to analyze and compare the diagnostic efficacies of LVGLS，AP4 Midpt% and AP2 Midpt% for left ventricular function changes in HDP pregnant women. Results:① The analysis revealed no statistically significant differences in maternal age and height between the HP group and the HDP subgroups（all P>0.05）. In contrast，statistically significant differences were observed in gestational age，systolic blood pressure，diastolic blood pressure，body mass index，and body surface area（all P<0.05）. Additionally，significant differences were noted in left ventricular mass，left ventricular interventricular septum thickness at end-diastole，left ventricular posterior wall thickness at end-diastole，left ventricular end-diastolic dimension，left ventricular end-systolic dimension，left ventricular end-diastolic volume，left ventricular end-systolic volume，and stroke volume between the HP group and the HDP subgroups（all P<0.05），while the difference in left ventricular ejection fraction was not statistically significant（ P>0.05）. ② Significant differences were identified in strain and TMAD parameters between the HP group and the HDP subgroups（all P<0.05），with LVGLS，AP4 Midpt% and AP2 Midpt% exhibited the largest effect sizes（ η p2=0.457，0.453，0.351）. A progressive decline in strain and TMAD parameters was observed as the severity of HDP increased. ③ There were strong positive correlations between AP4 Midpt%，AP2 Midpt% and LVGLS（ r=0.752，0.747；all P<0.001）. ④ LVGLS，AP4 Midpt% and AP2 Midpt% all demonstrated significant diagnostic efficacies for changes in left ventricular function in HDP（AUC=0.840，0.847，0.791），and the differences in AUC among the 3 curves were not statistically significant（all P>0.05）.⑤ The success rate of collecting TMAD parameters was significantly higher than that of strain parameters（99.24% vs. 93.58%， P<0.001）. Conclusions:As the severity of the disease worsens，the changes of left ventricular structure and function in pregnant women with HDP become more and more significant. Both strain and TMAD parameters can early and sensitively identify the subclinical damage of left ventricular systolic function in HDP pregnant women，and both of them have the same diagnostic value. TMAD parameters can be used as a reliable substitute parameter of LVGLS in HDP pregnant women.

Objective:To explore the evaluation effect of ultrasonography and Pirani score on tarsal deformity, treatment effect and pseudo-correction of congenital clubfoot in infants and young children, and the correlation between the two methods.Methods:This is a retrospective case series study. The clinical data of 26 children (40 feet) with congenital clubfoot who were evaluated by ultrasonography in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2020 to January 2023 were retrospectively collected. There were 16 males and 10 females. The age at the first ultrasound examination was ( M(IQR)) 9.0 (18.0) days (range: 1 to 46 days). All patients were treated with Ponseti method by the same physician. The Pirani scores before and after treatment and at the last examination, and the talonavicular angle, calcaneocuboid angle and tibiocalcaneal angle measured by ultrasound were collected, and the treatment and follow-up were recorded. Paired sample t test, repeated measures analysis of variance or Kruskal-Wallis test were used for data comparison, and Spearman correlation analysis was used for correlation analysis. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to calculate the efficacy of ultrasound in evaluating different Pirani scores. Results:The number of plaster fixation in 26 children was 4.0 (1.0) times (range: 2 to 8 times). The medial talonavicular angle and posterior tibiocalcaneal angle were significantly improved after treatment and at the last follow-up compared with those before treatment, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.01). There was no difference in lateral calcaneocuboid angle before and after treatment and at the last follow-up ( F=1.971, P>0.05). Pseudo-correction occurred in 2 cases (2 feet) during the treatment, with an incidence of 5%. Correlation analysis showed that there was a moderate positive correlation between talonavicular angle and Pirani midfoot score ( r=0.480, P<0.01). There was no correlation between calcaneocuboid angle and Pirani midfoot score ( r=0.114, P=0.105). There was a moderate negative correlation between tibial heel angle and Pirani hindfoot score ( r=-0.566, P<0.01). The cut-off point of Pirani midfoot score of 1.5 was 38.78°, the sensitivity was 0.90, the specificity was 0.56, and the area under the curve was 0.75. The cut-off value of angle was 27.51 °, the sensitivity was 0.16, the specificity was 0.92, and the area under the curve was 0.44.The cut-off points of Pirani midfoot score of 3.0 were 45.08°and 9.96°, the sensitivity was 0.94 and 0.91, the specificity was 0.37 and 0.42, and the area under the curve was 0.59 and 0.62, respectively. The cut-off values of Pirani hindfoot score of 2.0 and 3.0 were 167.46° and 160.15°, respectively. The sensitivity was 0.75 and 0.67, the specificity was 0.81 and 0.83, and the area under the curve was 0.78 and 0.71, respectively. Conclusion:Ultrasound can complement with Pirani score, visually and dynamically observe the morphology and position changes of talonavicular joint, calcaneocuboid joint and tibiotalocalcaneal joint, monitor the recovery and pseudo-correction of tarsal bones, and better evaluate the therapeutic effect.

Objective To observe the values of changes of right heart modified myocardial performance index(Mod-MPI)and ductus venosus(DV)spectrum parameters in pre-eclampsia fetuses for predicting adverse pregnancy outcomes.Methods Eighty-one pregnant women diagnosed as pre-eclampsia were prospectively enrolled and divided into severe pre-eclampsia(SPE)group(n=39)and mild pre-eclampsia(MPE)group(n=42),while 85 healthy pregnant women were taken as controls(control group).Fetal right heart function parameters,including right ventricular isovolumetric relaxation time(IRT),isovolumetric contraction time(ICT),ejection time(ET),total spent time(TST),Mod-MPI,tricuspid valve peak flow velocity ratio in early and late diastole(TV-E/A),as well as blood flow velocities in each waveform of DV spectrum(S,V,D,and A wave)were obtained,and the pulsatility index(PI)and the ratio of blood flow velocities in each waveform of the DV(S/V,S/D,S/A,V/D,V/A,D/A)were calculated.Intrauterine fetal distress,preterm delivery,neonatal asphyxia and newborn with low weight were considered as adverse pregnancy outcomes.The correlations of right heart Mod-MPI and TV-E/A with DV parameters in pre-eclampsia fetuses were assessed,and their predictive efficacies for adverse pregnancy outcomes were evaluated for right heart Mod-MPI and DV using the receiver operating characteristics(ROC)and the area under the curves(AUC).Results Compared with control group and MPE group,fetal right heart IRT,ICT and Mod-MPI increased and ET decreased in SPE group(all P＜0.05).No significant differences of right heart TST and TV-E/A among 3 groups(both P＞0.05).Fetal DV A-wave velocity and V/D values progressively decreased but PI progressively increased in control,MPE and SPE groups(all P＜0.05).Fetal right heart Mod-MPI in pre-eclampsia was moderately positively correlated with DV PI(r=0.637,P=0.016),while TV-E/A was weakly negatively correlated with DV V/D(r=-0.355,P=0.043).Adverse pregnancy outcomes were noticed in 59 pre-eclampsia cases.The AUC of fetal right heart Mod-MPI and DV PI for predicting adverse pregnancy outcomes in pre-eclampsia cases was 0.897 and 0.848,respectively,without significant difference(Z=0.460,P=0.400).Conclusion Changes of right heart Mod-MPI and DV spectrum parameters in pre-eclampsia fetuses had high value for predicting adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Objective To observe prenatal ultrasonic manifestations of fetal rhomboencephalosynapsis(RES).Methods Data of 15 singletons with RES were retrospectively analyzed,and the prenatal intracranial and extracranial ultrasonic manifestations were observed.Results All 15 fetuses were found with transverse cerebellar diameter lower than the 3rd percentile of normal value in the same gestational week and bilateral cerebellar hemisphere fusion(15/15,100％).Cerebellar vermis completely loss was observed in 14 fetuses(14/15,93.33％),while partially loss was noticed in 1 fetus(1/15,6.67％).Invisible of the fourth cerebral ventricle was detected in 4 fetuses(4/15,26.67％),while the fourth cerebral ventricular index(4Vi)＜1 was found in 11 fetuses(11/15,73.33％).No"split line"sign between vermis and cerebellar hemisphere was detected.A total of 14(14/15,93.33％)were found with combining intracranial or extracranial malformations,including 13(13/14,92.86％)with other intracranial malformations,10(10/14,71.43％)with extracranial malformations,whereas 1(1/15,6.67％)fetus had no other malformation.Conclusion Prenatal ultrasonic manifestations of fetal RES mainly included small cerebellum transverse diameter,complete or partial loss of vermis,invisible or dysplasia of the fourth cerebral ventricle,fusion of bilateral cerebellar hemispheres,as well as combining with other intracranial and extracranial malformations.

Objective:To investigate the value of fetal heart quantification (fetal HQ) in assessing ventricular function of fetuses with small-for-gestational-age (SGA) and fetal growth restriction (FGR).Methods:A total of 152 singleton pregnancies with estimated fetal weight (EFW) or abdominal circumference less than the 10th percentile in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were prospectively selected from August 2022 to September 2023, where fetal EFW or abdominal circumference were in the 3rd to 9th percentile with normal Doppler findings were classified as the SGA group ( n=79), and the rest as the FGR group ( n=73). In the same period, 161 cases of normal single fetuses were matched as the control group.Based on the gestational week in which FGR occurred, the FGR group were categorized into the early-onset group (<32 weeks, n=46) and the late-onset group (≥32 weeks, n=27), and fetuses in the FGR group with absent end-diastolic velocity of the umbilical artery were defined as severe FGR ( n=11), and the rest as mild FGR ( n=62). Fetal ventricular fractional area change (FAC), global longitudinal strain (GLS), longitudinal fractional shortening (LFS) and 24-segment fractional shortening (FS) were obtained by fetal HQ. The cardiac systolic function between groups were compared, the correlations between each parameter and gestational week were analyzed, the inter-observer and intra-observer repeatability tests were performed. Results:Compared with the control group, ventricular FAC, LFS, and GLS were lower in the SGA and the FGR group, right ventricular FS of segments 9-24 were reduced in the SGA group, and left ventricular FS of segments 10-19, 21-24 and right ventricular FS of segments 18-24 were reduced in the FGR group, the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Left ventricular GLS, LFS and right ventricular FAC, GLS, LFS, FS of segments 1-14 were lower in the severe FGR group than in the mild FGR group, the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The values of left ventricular GLS and LFS were higher in the early-onset FGR group than in the late-onset FGR group, the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The ROC showed that the ventricular systolic function parameters predicted adverse perinatal outcomes with an AUC>0.6 (all P<0.05). Left ventricular GLS and right ventricular partial-segments FS were no correlations with gestational week in the FGR group (-0.3< rs<0.3, all P<0.05). There was no correlation between the parameters and gestational week in the SGA group (all P>0.05). The inter-observer and intra-observer intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were >0.75, with good reproducibility. Conclusions:Fetal HQ can quantitatively assess the changes of ventricular function in SGA and FGR fetuses, and the ventricular overall, longitudinal and localized contractile function in SGA and FGR fetuses are reduced, and abnormal ventricular systolic function is associated with adverse perinatal outcomes.

Objective:To evaluate the changes of ventricular function in the twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) fetuses before and after fetoscopy laser photocoagulation (FLP) by fetal heart qualifiction (fetal HQ) technology.Methods:A total of 30 TTTS pregnant women who underwent FLP and delivered in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2023 to November 2023 were prospectively selected as the TTTS group, including 30 donor fetuses and 30 recipient fetuses. The control group included 34 normal monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) twins (68 fetuses) at the same gestational age. The changes of cardiac function of donor and recipient fetuses before and one day, one week and one month after FLP treatment were investigated by fetal HQ. The correlations between stage and global strain(GS) and fractional area change(FAC) of ventricle were analyzed. The inter-observer and intera-observer repeatability tests were performed.Results:①Before FLP treatment, fractional shortening(FS)10-24 of left ventricle and FS10-11 of right ventricle in donor group were lower than the control group (all P<0.05).GS, FAC, FS10-24 of left ventricle and GS, FAC, FS1-24 of right ventricle in recipient group were lower than the control group (all P<0.05). In the donor group, Quintero stage was moderately positively correlated with GS of right ventricle and moderately negatively correlated with FAC of right ventricle ( rs=0.535, -0.515; P=0.004, 0.006). But there were no correlation between Quintero stage and GS and FAC of left and right ventricle in recipient group (all P>0.05). ②After FLP treatment, the left ventricular systolic function of the donor group recovered to the normal level one day after operation ( P>0.05). But the FS16-24 of left ventricle were lower than the control group one week after operation, and the FS21-24 of left ventricle were still lower than the control group one month after operation(all P<0.05). One day after operation, the systolic function of the right ventricle in the donor group decreased, and GS, FAC and FS6-24 of the right ventricle were lower than the control group (all P<0.05). However, the right ventricular systolic function recovered to the normal level one week after operation ( P>0.05). ③After FLP, the systolic function of left ventricle and right ventricle recovered in recipient group, especially for right ventricle. One month after operation, only FS12-16 of left ventricle were lower than the control group ( P<0.05). But GS and FAC of left and right ventricle and 24 segments FS of right ventricle recovered to the control level (all P>0.05). ④The ICC of left and right ventricular parameters were greater than 0.75, indicating good repeatability ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Fetal HQ technology can sensitively evaluate fetal heart function in TTTS fetuses with good repeatability. Before FLP, the ventricular function of donor and recipient fetuses are affected to varying degrees.After FLP, the left and right ventricular function of the donor and recipient fetuses are improved to varying degrees and have different recovery rules.

Objective:To investigate the prenatal ultrasound detection and prognosis of fetuses with cysts of filum terminale.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 68 fetuses with cysts of filum terminale that underwent level Ⅲ systematic ultrasound examination and were successfully followed up at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2020 to June 2023. The analysis included the initial detection time, cyst size, accompanying abnormalities, whether the cysts disappeared in utero, outcomes, and postnatal follow-up. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed.Results:The earliest ultrasound detection of filum terminale cysts was at 21 weeks and 4 days of gestation, with a median length of 4.3 mm (range 2.0-19.5 mm). Among the 68 cases, 69% (47/68) were isolated filum terminale cysts, and 31% (21/68) were non-isolated filum terminale cysts. Structural abnormalities associated with non-isolated filum terminale cysts were most commonly cardiovascular (7/21, 33%), urogenital (6/21, 29%), and neurological (6/21, 29%) systems. Prenatal ultrasound follow-up was performed in 41 cases, with an intrauterine disappearance rate of 63% (26/41). The disappearance rates for isolated and non-isolated filum terminale cysts were 67% (22/33) and 4/8, respectively. The earliest disappearance was at 25 weeks of gestation, with the shortest duration being 12 days. Prenatal genetic testing was conducted in 10 cases, with no definite pathogenic variants detected. There were 10 cases of induced labor, including two cases of isolated filum terminale cysts and eight cases of non-isolated filum terminale cysts. The remaining 58 cases resulted in live births, with postnatal follow-up ranging from 3 months to 3 years, showing no abnormal findings.Conclusion:Most fetal cysts of filum terminale are isolated and can spontaneously disappear in utero, with a generally good prognosis.