Fetal echocardiography

This examination is performed during pregnancy through an ultrasound scan to study the anatomy, function and heart rhythm of the fetus. Normally the pregnant woman has to undergo an ultrasound between the twentieth and twenty-fifth weeks, it is not an invasive examination and takes about half an hour. It is useful for identifying any fetal heart disease and the specialist, who will perform the ultrasound, must be specialized in fetal and pediatric cardiology.

This examination does not require any particular preparation, only before facing the echocardiogram you need to empty the bladder, the doctor will use an abdominal probe and, in rare cases, if the gynecologist deems it necessary between the 13th and 16th week subject the pregnant woman to a transvaginal ultrasound (it takes a long time, but it is not at all annoying). If from this examination a complex cardiac malformation is discovered then it is good to consult a cardiologist. There is a risk of heart disease and malformation due to heredity, pregnancy infections or maternal diseases.They are: hereditary diseases, fetal infections, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, certain drugs or alcohol (maternal); chromosomal abnormalities, elevated nuchal translucency, fetal malformations, rapid fetal growth (fetus).
A good morphological ultrasound is suitable for low-risk patients, but if this is greater, it is good to use echocardiography. It is important to recognize heart disease in utero because it is possible to identify any fetal arrhythmias and carry out the treatment by administering drugs transplacental, that is, through the mother; moreover, it is possible to intervene immediately after the birth, taking the newborn to specialized facilities to immediately resort to the necessary medical or surgical therapies. It has been shown that in the most severe heart diseases, prenatal diagnosis reduces not only operative mortality, but also brain and kidney damage and the postoperative course of the children.

See also