Methods
A total of 136 unselected, normal, singleton, second- and
third-trimester fetuses with normofrequent heart rates were examined by
targeted ultrasound. 2D-STE was performed separately by beginner and
expert semiautomatically using a GE Voluson E10 (FetalHQ®, GE
Healthcare, Chicago, IL, USA). Several fetal cardiac parameters were
calculated (end-diastolic diameter (ED), sphericity index (SI), global
longitudinal strain (EndoGLS), fractional shortening (FS)) and assigned
to gestational age (GA). Bland-Altman plots were used to test agreement
between both operators.