Someday, a mother-to-be may be able to put on a virtual reality headset and get a clear 360-degree view of her fetus in the womb. The scenario may sound like science fiction, but according to a team of researchers from Brazil, it may only be widely available within a year.
While 3D imaging of fetuses is already largely available - in fact, there are portrait studios that offer it - the images obtained from current technology are static and still quite unclear.
With the new virtual reality technology, images of fetuses are clearer and can be rotated 360 degrees. The researchers say they hope these enhanced fetal models are the next step in not only allowing parents to see their future children, but also helping researchers better understand fetal anatomy. [7 Baby Myths Debunked]
In their study, the researchers were able to visualize and make 3-D models of 25 fetuses using this technology. There were two instances in which this technique did not work. In these experiments, the level of amniotic fluid was too low for the researchers to get a high-resolution enough image of the fetus to make a 3-D model, Werner said in an interview with Live Science.
, but in cases where this technology worked, "we found that these images were much more realistic, and the possibility that we could see them in a 360-degree range showed us that," said study co-author Dr. Heron Werner Jr, from a Rio de Janeiro-based company called Clinical Diagnostic Imaging.Heron and his colleagues recently presented this technology at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.
The new technique starts with a 3-D model of the fetus using MR*** vibration and ultrasound, or a combination of both. For pregnant women, this means undergoing imaging similar to a routine obstetric ultrasound or MRI. But after that, the researchers will use frames of those images, in sequence, to begin making a 3-D model of the fetus, the researchers said. 5 Interesting Facts About Fetal Ultrasound
This is a close-up of a 26-week fetus. (Radiological Society of North America)From there, doctors can choose to focus only on specific body parts of the fetus for reconstruction. Finally, the parents-to-be can see the final image, including the inside of the uterus, the umbilical cord and placenta, as well as the fetus, through a virtual reality device.
Werner and his colleagues used a virtual reality headset, the Oculus Rift 2, in their study, and found that women could not only experience what it would be like to fly around a fetus by just looking around, but they could also hear the heartbeat of the fetus through ultrasound.
In addition to potentially giving parents a special sneak peek into their bundle of joy, the researchers say this imaging technology could offer new options for assessing fetal health and development. The scans allow users to see all the internal structures and external features of the fetus. For example, doctors can zoom in on the entire length of the fetal airway to look for masses that may be blocking the airway and to better determine the mode of delivery, the researchers said.
In this study, the scans did not reveal any health conditions of the fetus, which are not yet known. But Werner said the technology does improve the ability of the multidisciplinary healthcare team to work together and discuss potential health issues with family members.
This new technology also helps in planning prenatal and postpartum surgeries, he said.
is the original article on Life Sciences.