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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 9, 2026

Fetal Echocardiography and Pulsed-wave Doppler Ultrasound in a Rabbit Model of Intrauterine Growth Restriction

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Fetal cardiac function between 11 and 35 weeks' gestation and nuchal translucency thickness.

S A B Clur¹, K Oude Rengerink, B W J Mol

¹Department of Paediatric Cardiology of the Emma Children's Hospital, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. s.a.clur@amc.nl

Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology : the Official Journal of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology

|August 26, 2010

Summary

Increased nuchal translucency (NT) in fetuses with normal hearts is linked to altered cardiac function. This study reveals changes in right ventricular relaxation and ventricular afterload related to NT thickness.

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Last Updated: Jun 9, 2026

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Murine Fetal Echocardiography

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Published on: February 15, 2013

Area of Science:

Fetal Medicine
Cardiology
Genetics

Background:

The underlying causes of increased nuchal translucency (NT) in fetuses are not fully understood.
Cardiac dysfunction is a potential contributor to increased NT.
Investigating the relationship between NT and cardiac function in fetuses with normal hearts is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

To determine if NT thickness correlates with cardiac function in fetuses with structurally normal hearts throughout gestation.
To explore the association between NT and various echocardiographic parameters of cardiac performance.

Main Methods:

191 karyotypically and phenotypically normal fetuses with normal hearts were included.
Nuchal translucency (NT) was measured, with 104 having increased NT (≥ 95th centile).
Detailed fetal echocardiography was performed between 11 and 35 weeks' gestation, analyzing multiple cardiac function parameters.

Main Results:

Cardiac function parameters, including atrioventricular (AV) valve velocities and semilunar valve function, changed significantly with gestational age.
In early gestation (11-14 weeks), increased NT multiples of the median (MoM) correlated with altered aortic valve acceleration time (AT), tricuspid valve (TV) inflow patterns, and ductus venosus pulsatility index for veins (DV-PIV).
Later in gestation, changes in pulmonary valve (PV) AT and AV valve inflow patterns were observed with increasing NT-MoMs.

Conclusions:

Increased NT thickness is associated with impaired right ventricular diastolic function and semilunar valve acceleration time.
Findings suggest an initial improvement in first-trimester right ventricular relaxation, followed by reduced relaxation later in gestation.
Discordant ventricular afterload may be present in fetuses with increased NT.