[The evaluation of fetal cardiac function in diabetic pregnancies]

To assess fetal cardiac hypertrophy and ventricular function in fetuses of diabetic mothers.

Study group was consist of 23 fetuses of diabetic pregnancies. Control group was consist of 108 fetuses of normal pregnancies. Cardiac size was measured by ultrasound as inter-ventricular septal (IVS) thickness and ventricular diastolic and systolic (VD and VS) dimensions and perimeter. Cardiac function was expressed as ventricular shortening fraction 1 (VSF1) (ventricular diastolic perimeter-ventricular systolic perimeter/ventricular diastolic perimeter) and ventricular shortening fraction 2 (VSF2) (ventricular diastolic dimension-Ventricular systolic dimension/ventricular diastolic dimension). Fetal birth weight was recorded.

IVS of study group (6.1 +/- 0.7) mm, which was significantly thicker than IVS of control group (4.4 +/- 0.7) mm. Left ventricular diastolic dimension (LVDD) and Left ventricular systolic dimension (LVSD) of study group were (3.3 +/- 0.8) cm2 and (2.2 +/- 0.6) cm2, which were greater than those of control group (2.6 +/- 0.6) cm2 and (2.0 +/- 0.5) cm2. Right ventricular diastolic dimension (RVDD) and Right ventricular systolic dimension (RVSD) of study group were (3.9 +/- 0.7) cm2 and (2.6 +/- 0.7) cm2, which were also greater than those of control group (3.5 +/- 0.5) cm2 and (2.4 +/- 0.7) cm2. Left ventricular shortening fraction 1 of left ventricular (LVSF1) of study group was 0.20 +/- 0.07, which was greater than that of control group (0.12 +/- 0.04). LVSF2 of study group was 0.35 +/- 0.11, which was greater than that of control group too (0.23 +/- 0.10). Right ventricular shortening fraction 1 of left ventricular (RVSF1) of study group was 0.19 +/- 0.05, which was greater than that of control group (0.13 +/- 0.11). RVSF2 of study group was 0.33 +/- 0.09, which was greater than that of control group (0.23 +/- 0.14). Estimated fetal birth weight of study group was (4,076 +/- 608) g, which was greater than that of control group (3,440 +/- 377) g.

These findings showed that fetal hyperinsulinemia result in fetal weight increasing, global cardiac enlarger inter-ventricular septal thickness larger and revealed hypercontractilty of ventricle in fetuses of diabetes mothers.