The ‘Radiant Effect’: Recent Sonographic Image-Enhancing Technique and Its Impact on Nuchal Translucency Measurements

Journal of Clinical Medicine, vol. 13, pp. 3625

Abstract

Background: This study assesses the effects of the ‘Radiant’ image enhancement technique on fetal nuchal translucency (NT) measurements during first-trimester sonographic exams. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 263 ultrasound images of first-trimester midsagittal sections was conducted. NT measurements were obtained using a semi-automatic tool. Statistical methods were applied to compare NT measurements with and without ‘Radiant’ enhancement. An in vitro setup with predefined line distances provided additional data. Results: Incremental increases in NT measurements were observed with varying levels of ‘Radiant’ application: an average increase of 0.19 mm with ‘Radiant min’, 0.24 mm with ‘Radiant mid’, and 0.30 mm with ‘Radiant max.’ The in vitro results supported these findings, showing consistent effects on line thickness and measurement accuracy, with the smallest mean deviation occurring at the ‘Radiant mid’ setting. Conclusions: ‘Radiant’ image enhancement leads to significant increases in NT measurements. To avoid systematic biases in clinical assessments, it is advisable to disable ‘Radiant’ during NT measurement procedures. Further studies are necessary to corroborate these findings and to consider updates to the NT reference tables based on this technology.

Authors 6

1. Arne Bergsch corresponding
   Affiliation as printed

   Praenatal Plus, Centre for Prenatal Diagnostics and Genetics, 50672 Cologne, Germany

   Praenatal plus, Centre for Prenatal Diagnostics and Genetics, 50672 Cologne, Germany

2. J Degenhardt corresponding
   Affiliation as printed

   Praenatal Plus, Centre for Prenatal Diagnostics and Genetics, 50672 Cologne, Germany

   Praenatal plus, Centre for Prenatal Diagnostics and Genetics, 50672 Cologne, Germany

3. Rüdiger Stressig
   Affiliation as printed

   Praenatal Plus, Centre for Prenatal Diagnostics and Genetics, 50672 Cologne, Germany

   Praenatal plus, Centre for Prenatal Diagnostics and Genetics, 50672 Cologne, Germany

4. Heiko Dudwiesus

   Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ultraschall in der Medizin

   Affiliation as printed

   Arbeitskreis Ultraschallsysteme, DEGUM, 10117 Berlin, Germany

5. Oliver Graupner Aachen Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, RWTH Aachen University, 52062 Aachen, Germany

6. Jochen Ritgen
   Affiliation as printed

   Praenatal Plus, Centre for Prenatal Diagnostics and Genetics, 50672 Cologne, Germany

   Praenatal plus, Centre for Prenatal Diagnostics and Genetics, 50672 Cologne, Germany