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Utility of Fetal Echocardiography After Normal Cardiac Imaging Findings on Detailed Fetal Anatomic Ultrasonography
Author(s) -
Starikov Roman S.,
Bsat Fadi A.,
Knee Alexander B.,
Tsirka Anna E.,
Paris Yvonne,
Markenson Glenn R.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of ultrasound in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.574
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1550-9613
pISSN - 0278-4297
DOI - 10.7863/jum.2009.28.5.603
Subject(s) - medicine , fetal echocardiography , fetus , gestation , ultrasonography , pregnancy , heart disease , retrospective cohort study , obstetrics , cardiac imaging , radiology , cohort , cardiology , prenatal diagnosis , genetics , biology
Objective. The purpose of this study was to assess the utility of fetal echocardiography (FE) after normal fetal cardiac imaging findings during detailed fetal anatomic ultrasonography (FAU). Methods. We conducted a retrospective cohort review of obstetric ultrasonographic studies from November 2001 through July 2005. We identified women with a singleton gestation with increased risk for congenital heart disease who received FAU performed by a maternal‐fetal medicine specialist at 16 to 20 weeks' gestation with subsequent FE. These records were compared with newborn outcomes. Results. Of 789 pregnancies that had FAU and FE, 481 had satisfactory cardiac imaging. Of those, only 1 fetus had abnormal FE findings. After delivery, 4 of the 480 neonates with normal FAU and FE findings had a diagnosis of a heart defect. Conclusions. Fetal echocardiography does not substantially increase the detection rate of major cardiac anomalies after normal findings on detailed FAU performed by a maternal‐fetal medicine specialist.