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Updated: Aug 16, 2026
Murine Fetal Echocardiography
Published on: February 15, 2013
Plasma atrial natriuretic peptide in fetuses with cardiac disease
Jose L Bartha1, Michael D Penney, Peter W Soothill
1Fetal Medicine Research Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, St Michael's Hospital, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. joseluis.bartha@uca.es
Objective:
To investigate atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) levels in fetuses with cardiac defects and to evaluate the relationships between plasma ANP levels and the presence of polyhydramnios.
Methods:
Plasma ANP levels were measured by radioimmunoassay in 27 fetuses with cardiac abnormalities and in 14 normal healthy fetuses.
Results:
Fetal plasma ANP levels were similar in the two studied groups (p = 0.18) but they were significantly higher in a subset of cases with cardiac disease and polyhydramnios (n = 7) than in those with cardiac disease and normal amniotic fluid (n = 20; p = 0.036) and controls (p = 0.01).
Conclusion:
Polyhydramnios in fetuses with heart conditions might be explained by increased fetal diuresis secondary to increased ANP production.
