Echocardiographic observation and clinical significance of echogenic intracardiac foci

23rd World Congress on Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology

Echocardiographic observation and clinical significance
of echogenic intracardiac foci in 310 fetuses
Y. He, Y. Guo, Y. Zhang, J. Han, Z. Li
Beijing Anzhen Hospital Capital Medical University, Beijing,
China
Objectives:
To assess the clinical meaning of echogenic intracardiac
focus in fetuses by echocardiography.
Methods:
The data of 310 fetuses diagnosed as echogenic
intracardiac focus by echocardiography were reviewed. The
ultrasonic characters and clinical data were analysed.
Results:
310 fetuses were all nature pregnancies, and pregnancies
with high risk factors was 41 cases. The solitary EIF cases in left
ventricle were 263 (85% ). The solitary EIF cases in right ventricle
were 1 (3‰). The multiple EIF cases in left ventricle were 44 (14%).
The multiple EIF cases in both ventricles was 2 (6‰). The incidence
of congenital heart disease in the EIF group was 19‰ (6 cases) and
there was no significant difference between the EIF group and the
normal group. Down syndrome cases were 2 (6‰) both of them were
in the high risks group (elderly pregnant woman) 5 women stopped
pregnancy because of fetal malformation. Among the remaining
cases EIF gradually became pale, smaller or disappeared in 281cases
(92%) and 299 (96%) isolated EIF cases had a good clinical outcome
after birth.
Conclusions:
The isolated EIF in fetal heart without complicating
any other abnormalities has no significant clinical meaning. There
were no relationship between the isolated EIF fetal chromosome
abnormality and congenital heart disease