Effective Imaging Window Analysis for Wearable Ultrasound Device Using Fetal MRI

Wearable ultrasound devices can play a key role and enable revolutionary workflows in fetal monitoring applications in both antepartum and intrapartum phase of pregnancy. However, the fundamental question for developing wearable fetal monitoring solutions is whether the sensor is capable of performing continuous monitoring while being placed at a fixed location with minimum instruction to the user. Therefore, in this work, we developed a validation workflow using fetal MRI images to virtually place the wearable ultrasound scanner and examine the feasible placement window given the scanner design. This allows any scanner design being validated and optimized even before production. We showed that a scanner with a cone-shaped field-of-view with 18cm imaging depth can successfully monitor both the key heart and brain features throughout the critical period of delivery for fetal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy detection.