J Korean Pediatr Soc.  1994 May;37(5):606-611.

Normal Fetal Echocardiography

• Yoon SJ
• Hong SJ
• Cho HG
• Yoo JW
• Park DC

Abstract

Fetal echocardiography is used by means of decleration of fetal cardiac anaztomy, to estabilish the diagnosis of congenital heart disease in utero. We attemped fetal echocardiography to ninty three pregnant women after intra uterine period 24 weeks, and estimated cardiac circumference, cardiac axis, pulmonary atery root diameter, arortic root diameter, diameter of inferior vena cava, diameter of superior ve studied how these estimates associate with following gestational na cava, and fractional shortening of ventricles. We ages. Cardiac axis was on the average 37.28 degree and cardiac apex was located in anterior left side of chest area. Aortic root diameter was 0.227 GA-0.043mm (GA=gestational age) at systolic phase, 0.203 GA+0.421mm at diastolic phase. Pulmonaly root diameter was 0.271 GA-0.029mm at systolic phase, 0.251 GA-0.067mm at diastolic phase. Thoracic aorta diameter was 0.195 GA+0.109mm at systolic phase, 0.198 GA+0.794mm at diastolic phase. Fractional shortening was 0.24 (1 Standard Deviation=0.11) in right ventricle, 0.23(1 SD=0.154) at left ventricle, and so ratio of right and left ventricle was 1.04(1 SD=0.51). Once normal fetal cardiac anatomy is understood, structural defects and/or alternation of function can be evaluated antenatally.

MeSH Terms

Aorta, Thoracic
Axis, Cervical Vertebra
Diagnosis
Echocardiography*
Female
Heart Defects, Congenital
Heart Ventricles
Humans
Pregnant Women
Thorax
Vena Cava, Inferior