Examining fetal heart-rate variability using matching pursuits

A new approach to time-frequency analysis of fetal heart rate (FHR) variability is the matching pursuit (MP) method. MP analysis is proposed as away to capture complex energy structures ranging from burst-type to continuous activity in the time-frequency plane that other methods such as power-spectrum analysis and wavelet transforms may not detect. This article summarizes previous FHR analysis techniques, presents the MP algorithm, and shows the advantages of the MP method over other methods of FHR analysis.