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Reproducibility of automated fetal heart rate measurement using a novel technique with two-dimensional tracking

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Abstract

Purpose

To assess the accuracy of automated fetal heart rate measurement using two-dimensional tracking (AutoFHR) by comparison with the conventional free-angle M-mode (M-mode) and pulsed-waved Doppler (PWD) methods.

Methods

A multicenter prospective comparative study was conducted. AutoFHR is a novel technique for the automatic calculation of fetal heart rate using a two-dimensional speckle-tracking method. The fetal heart rate (FHR) obtained by AutoFHR was compared with that obtained by the conventional M-mode and PWD. Statistical analysis was performed on the correlation between the FHR measured by AutoFHR and that determined by M-mode and PWD.

Results

Data from 326 singleton pregnancies were analyzed, and all the data and the data from 178 cases were compared with M-mode and PWD, respectively. The intraobserver ICC was 0.96 (95% CI: 0.93–0.98), whereas the interobserver ICC was 0.97 (95% CI: 0.95–0.99). Systematic bias was not observed between M-mode and PWD, based on the Bland–Altman plots. Analyses of the relationships among the FHRs yielded by each method revealed that AutoFHR was strongly associated with M-mode (rs = 0.99, p < 0.001) and PWD (rs = 0.86, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Evaluation of FHR by AutoFHR was proved to be equivalent to evaluation by the conventional M-mode and PWD. AutoFHR can be employed with only B-mode data, making FHR measurement easier and safer.

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Acknowledgement

This work was partially supported by JSPS KAKENHI (Grant Number: JP16K11114).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kochi Health Sciences Center, Kochi, Japan

    Ryuhei Nagai

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi, Japan

    Susumu Miyashita

  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology 1, Kawasaki Medical School, Okayama, Japan

    Susumu Murata

  4. Department of Obstetrics, Nagara Medical Center, Gifu, Japan

    Yuichiro Takahashi

  5. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Juntendo University Urayasu Hospital, Chiba, Japan

    Atsushi Tajima

  6. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Toho University Graduate School of Medicine, 5-21-16 Omorinishi, Ota-ku, Tokyo, 143-8540, Japan

    Sumito Nagasaki, Mayumi Takano & Masahiko Nakata

Authors
  1. Ryuhei Nagai
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  2. Susumu Miyashita
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  3. Susumu Murata
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  4. Yuichiro Takahashi
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  5. Atsushi Tajima
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  6. Sumito Nagasaki
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  7. Mayumi Takano
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  8. Masahiko Nakata
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Masahiko Nakata.

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Conflict of interest

Ryuhei Nagai, Susumu Miyashita, Susumu Murata, Yuichiro Takahashi, Atsushi Tajima, Sumito Nagasaki, and Mayumi Takano declare that they have no conflicts of interest. Masahiko Nakata reports grants from JSPS KAKENHI during the conduct of the study. In addition, Nakata has a patent from the Japan Patent Office licensed to 5386001.

Ethical statement

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1946 and later versions.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all patients whose identifying information is included in this article.

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Nagai, R., Miyashita, S., Murata, S. et al. Reproducibility of automated fetal heart rate measurement using a novel technique with two-dimensional tracking. J Med Ultrasonics 46, 105–111 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10396-018-0893-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10396-018-0893-y

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