Advances in the Application of Artificial Intelligence in Fetal Echocardiography

Abstract

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a severe health risk for newborns. Early detection of abnormalities in fetal cardiac structure and function during pregnancy can help patients seek timely diagnostic and therapeutic advice, and early intervention planning can significantly improve fetal survival rates. Echocardiography is one of the most accessible and widely used diagnostic tools in the diagnosis of fetal CHD. However, traditional fetal echocardiography has limitations due to fetal, maternal, and ultrasound equipment factors, and is highly dependent on the skill level of the operator. AI technology, with its rapid development utilizing advanced computer algorithms, has great potential to empower sonographers in time-saving and accurate diagnosis and to bridge the skill gap in different regions. In recent years, AI-assisted fetal echocardiography has been successfully applied to a wide range of ultrasound diagnoses. This review systematically reviews the applications of AI in the field of fetal echocardiography over the years in terms of image processing, biometrics, and disease diagnosis, and provides an outlook for future research.