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Updated: Aug 16, 2026
Murine Fetal Echocardiography
Published on: February 15, 2013
Risk factors for cardiac malformations detected by fetal echocardiography in a tertiary center
Tamar Perri1, Bina Cohen-Sacher, Moshe Hod
1Perinatal Division, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petah Tiqva, Israel.
Insights
Most fetal cardiac anomalies are found in low-risk pregnancies. Abnormal fetal heart views during routine screening are highly predictive of these conditions, guiding targeted echocardiography.
Area of Science:
- Medical imaging
- Prenatal diagnostics
- Cardiology
Background:
- Fetal echocardiography is effective for detecting congenital heart defects but is resource-intensive.
- Identifying appropriate candidates for fetal echocardiography is crucial for optimizing its use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine which patients benefit most from fetal echocardiography.
- To identify predictors of congenital cardiac anomalies in fetuses.
Main Methods:
- Review of 1696 fetal echocardiograms performed between 1997-1999.
- Categorization of patients into high-risk and low-risk groups based on referral reasons.
- Analysis of pregnancy outcomes and echocardiography diagnoses.
Main Results:
- Congenital cardiac anomalies were detected in 2.7% of cases (46/1696).
- The majority of detected anomalies (89%) occurred in the low-risk population.
- Abnormal fetal heart views on routine ultrasound and single umbilical artery were significant predictors (p < 0.001 and p = 0.02).
Conclusions:
- Congenital cardiac malformations are frequently identified in low-risk pregnancies.
- Routine second-trimester screening with an abnormal fetal heart view strongly predicts cardiac anomalies, justifying further investigation.
Objective:
Fetal echocardiography accurately detects congenital cardiac anomalies, but it is costly, time-consuming, and requires highly-skilled operators. Our aim was to define those patients for whom fetal echocardiography is justified.
Methods:
The files of 1696 consecutive patients who underwent second- to third-trimester fetal echocardiography at our tertiary center between 1997 and 1999 were reviewed for reason for referral, echocardiography diagnosis, and pregnancy outcome.
Results:
The patients were categorized by reason for referral into high-and low-risk groups. The high-risk group included 662 patients (39%) with fetal risk factors, 178 (10.5%) with maternal risk factors and 279 (16.5%) with poor obstetric history. The remaining 577 women (34%) were considered low-risk population. These included 282 self-referred women (due to maternal anxiety) who served as control group, 78 women who were referred because of a suspected cardiac malformation on routine second-trimester ultrasound, and 213 women who were referred because of failure to view the heart on second-trimester ultrasound. In 46 women, cardiac anomalies (2.7%) were detected prenatally and confirmed postnatally; most of them (41/46, 89%) were in the low-risk population. Abnormal cardiac findings on second-trimester ultrasound and a diagnosis of a single umbilical artery made the most significant contribution to the detection of cardiac abnormalities (p < 0.001 and p = 0.02, respectively).
Conclusions:
Most fetal cardiac malformations occur in the low-risk population. Abnormal view of the fetal heart on routine second-trimester screening is highly predictive of congenital cardiac anomalies.
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