Fetal and early neonatal cardiac ventricular geometry and function : an echographic study

Most of our present knowledge of fetal and neonatal cardiovascular anatomy and function is derived from chronic and acute lamb experiments. The disadvantage of these experiments is that many physiologic functions were influenced by the surgery and anaesthesia. By using ultrasound techniques it is possible to study the human fetal and neonatal heart under physiologic conditions. In the study, described in this thesis, the possibility o~ using M-mode registration to accurately and reproducibly measure ventricular size and intraventricular septal thickness in fetal and neonatal hearts during various periods of the cardiac cycle was investigated. If this is so 1 these H-mode registrations will lead to a greater insight into fetal and neonatal cardiac ventricular geometry and funtion under physiologic and pathophysiologic circumstances