Samsung’s Ultrasound Technology for Fetal Echocardiography Selected as Picture of the Month in a Leading Academic Journal

An image that shows the capability of Samsung’s ultrasound technology has taken to the mainstage of one of the leading academic journals by gracing its cover as Picture of the Month for October. The clinical fetal echocardiography image is being featured by Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology (UOG), a title which specializes in women’s healthcare.

UOG is the official journal published by the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG). The image that the publication selected represents a breakthrough for Samsung Medison, a global medical equipment company and an affiliate of Samsung Electronics. Its fetal echocardiography technology called 5D Heart Color™ allows a precise diagnosis of congenital heart disease.

The clinical image was obtained from a 26-week fetus with hypoplastic left heart and coarctation of the aorta, in which nine standard fetal echocardiography views with automatic labeling were displayed on a single screen.

The story behind the image can be found in a research paper led by Prof. Roberto Romero, Chief of the Perinatology Research Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)/National Institutes of Health in the U.S., and Prof. Lami Yeo, M.D., from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, U.S.

According to the research, the Picture of the Month illustrates how the cardiac diagnostic planes shown by 5D Heart Color™ (i.e. color Doppler FINE – Fetal Intelligent Navigation Echocardiography) allowed a precise diagnosis of hypoplastic left heart with coarctation of the aorta, and that such planes demonstrated evidence of abnormal fetal cardiac anatomy and hemodynamic flow.

The publication stated, “The characteristic features of this congenital heart defect were visualized in the seven echocardiography views. In the four-chamber view, the left side of the heart was severely hypoplastic with absent flow through the atretic mitral valve, and the aortic arch view showed a very narrow transverse aortic arch (coarctation) with reversed color Doppler flow in this area and the isthmus.”

Samsung’s 5D Heart Color™ provides nine different fetal echocardiography views containing clinically useful information about cardiac structure and function, including the three vessels and trachea view, four-chamber view, left and right ventricular outflow tract views, aortic arch view, and four others. In cases of congenital heart disease, since abnormal fetal cardiac anatomy and hemodynamic flow characteristics are depicted, this enhances the diagnostic potential of the technology. In addition, there is reduced operator dependency, and examination of the fetal heart is standardized and simplified.

As 5D Heart Color™ marks the second time Samsung Medison’s technology has been selected as Picture of the Month, (The company’s Crystal Vue™ also gained the honor in 2016) it’s an illustration of how Samsung Medison is continuing to establish its brand power in the global women’s health industry by providing technology with clinical value to medical professionals.

“It is exciting to see 5D Heart Color™ is being featured on the front cover of UOG, especially since the diagnostic accuracy of 5D Heart™ was presented at last month’s World Congress on Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology,” said Insuk Song, Vice President of the Health & Medical Equipment of Samsung Electronics. “Samsung will continue to focus on developing medical technology that can improve the detection of fetal congenital heart disease and contribute to saving more lives.”