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Fetal echocardiography at 11–13 weeks by transabdominal high‐frequency ultrasound
Author(s) -
Persico N.,
Moratalla J.,
Lombardi C. M.,
Zidere V.,
Allan L.,
Nicolaides K. H.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.202
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1469-0705
pISSN - 0960-7692
DOI - 10.1002/uog.8934
Subject(s) - medicine , obstetrics and gynaecology , fetal echocardiography , fetus , fetal heart , ultrasound , radiology , abnormality , cardiac ultrasound , obstetrics , prenatal diagnosis , pregnancy , cardiology , genetics , psychiatry , biology
Objectives To assess the accuracy of fetal echocardiography at 11–13 weeks performed by well‐trained obstetricians using a high‐frequency linear ultrasound transducer. Methods Fetal echocardiography was performed by obstetricians immediately before chorionic villus sampling for fetal karyotyping at 11–13 weeks. Digital videoclips of the examination stored by the obstetrician were reviewed offline by a specialist fetal cardiologist. Results The obstetrician suspected 95 (95%) of the 100 cardiac defects identified by the fetal cardiologist and made the correct diagnosis in 84 (84%) of these cases. In 54 fetuses, the defect was classified as major and in 46 it was minor. In 767 (86.6%) cases, the heart was normal and in 19 (2.1%) the views were inadequate for assessment of normality or abnormality. A subsequent second‐trimester scan in the normal group identified major cardiac defects in four cases. Therefore, the first‐trimester scan by the obstetricians and cardiologists identified 54 (93.1%) of the 58 major cardiac defects. Conclusions A well‐trained obstetrician using high‐resolution ultrasound equipment can assess the fetal heart at 11–13 weeks with a high degree of accuracy. Copyright © 2011 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.