ad. 39. What is 2D, 3D, 4D and STIC?

2D examination consists in imaging using ultrasound, which are safe for a fetus. An obtained image is flat, being a cross-section of an analyzed body part of a patient in a plane seen by a transducer. 3D is a three-dimensional image, partly reconstructed and acquired from an image of a part of a patient’s body in a form of a block of data containing many 2D cross-sections in three perpendicular planes. Such blocks can be analyzed additionally in a form of a three-dimensional reconstruction set on external, skeletal or vascular structures. 4D are the 3D images updated in time. This allows to visualize fetal movements. STIC is a kind of a 4D imaging intended for a heart. It consists in recording the whole heart in a form of a block of data during about 20 cardiac cycles. This technique is irreplaceable in case of suspected congenital heart defects. STIC is an echocardiography of the future, requiring from a specialist not only medical knowledge but also an acquaintance with modern ultrasonographic techniques.