Artificial intelligence in fetal echocardiography: Recent advances and future prospects

Abstract

In the past few decades, great progress has been made in prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD). Fetal echocardiography is recognized as the main prenatal screening and diagnostic tool that can accurately detect approximately 85 % of fetal cardiac abnormalities. Evaluation of the fetal heart remains a major challenge in prenatal ultrasound screening and diagnosis due to fetal position, involuntary movement, small and complex fetal cardiac anatomy, maternal abdominal wall conditions, and lack of expertise in fetal echocardiography by some physicians engaged in obstetric ultrasound. Artificial intelligence (AI) can automate and standardize the display of each diagnostic section of the fetal heart and thus contribute to accurate diagnosis, which significantly optimizes the clinical application of fetal echocardiography. In this review, we not only clarify the role of AI but also highlight its significance and future solutions in the field of fetal echocardiography.