ShearWave elastography of fetal lungs in pregnant baboons

Abstract

Transabdominal ShearWave elastography of fetal lungs in pregnant baboons is feasible. However, intra- and inter-operator reproducibility is acceptable when the mean of three measurements is used. Further studies are thus needed before an objective study of lung maturity with ShearWave elastography can be carried out.

Acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography to asses maternal and foetal structures in pregnant ewes

“…The only study performed on human foetuses (Quarello et al., ) did not show significant differences in lung SWV between second and third trimesters using the same elastographic technique to that used in the present study, and their values (0.94–1.08 m/s) seem higher than those observed in the present study (0.62–0.73 m/s). However, foetal lung stiffness changes over gestation were initially described in a study that evaluated baboons’ foetuses three times throughout pregnancy by a different quantitative elastographic method (Quarello et al., ). The same authors detected a weak correlation between lung stiffness and gestational age ( R 2 = 0.2).…”

“…Week post-birth 38.2 ± 0.9 38.5 ± 0.3 37.9 ± 0.5 37.7 ± 0.7 38.7 ± 0.8 TA B L E 1 Means ± standard deviations of lambs (n = 33) body weight (kg), heart rate (bpm), respiratory rate (rpm) and corporal temperature (°C) throughout the weeks post-birth to weaning technique to that used in the present study, and their values (0.94-1.08 m/s) seem higher than those observed in the present study (0.62-0.73 m/s). However, foetal lung stiffness changes over gestation were initially described in a study that evaluated baboons' foetuses three times throughout pregnancy by a different quantitative elastographic method (Quarello et al, 2016). The same authors detected a weak correlation between lung stiffness and gestational age (R 2 = 0.2).…”

“…Data on intrauterine elastographic evaluation of foetal tissues are very limited, with a few studies available in the literature using baboon foetuses as an experimental model (Quarello, Lacoste, Mancini, Melot‐Dusseau, & Gorincour, ,b; Quarello et al., ) and a single study evaluating human foetuses (Zheng, Wu, & Tan, ). These studies demonstrated the feasibility, reproducibility and applicability of elastography in the evaluation of maternal and foetal tissues, revealed important information about normal elasticity standards, however, have shown only weak correlation between elastography variables and gestational development.…”

Feasibility and reproducibility of ShearWaveTM elastography of fetal baboon organs

“…ribs). As we previously published, the organ depth indeed seems to play a role as demonstrated by the different ICC between fetal lungs, proximal or distal considering their distance to the ultrasound probe (cf. Table ).…”

Elastographic and echotextural characteristics of foetal lungs and liver during the final 5 days of intrauterine development in dogs

“…In veterinary medicine, the ARFI ultrasonographic technique has been used to detect various pathological changes in the canine and spleen and kidneys of cats as well as in the liver, prostate gland, and testes of dogs (Holdsworth et al, 2014;Feliciano et al, 2015a, b;Garcia et al, 2015;Maronezi et al, 2015). This technique also promises to be a valid method of assessing structural changes in foetal lungs and liver that may be indicative of the maturation; previous studies by Quarello et al (2016) in baboons and by Zheng et al (2016) in humans defined the normal ranges for foetal lung shear wave velocity during gestational development. There, however, have been no earlier systematic studies in humans or animal species of veterinary interest using foetal pulmonary and hepatic elastography during the prenatal period.…”