Real‐time 3‐D sonographic observation of fetal facial expression

Aim: There have been a few reports about 3‐D sonographic observation of fetal movements using dynamic 3‐D sonography. However, dynamic 3‐D sonography is not real‐time, the frame rate being in the region of 4–6 frames per second depending on the size of the region of interest and the number of lines employed. Recently, a new faster 3‐D sonography, which acquires up to 28 frames per second, has become available. Using this system, we studied a full range of fetal facial expressions during pregnancy.