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Updated: May 25, 2026
Murine Fetal Echocardiography
Published on: February 15, 2013
Decreased echogenicity of the embryo is correlated with absence of cardiac activity
Sinan Tan1, Ali Ipek, Hüseyin Levent Keskin
1Department of Radiology, Ankara Atatürk Education and Research Hospital, 06800 Eskişehir Yolu 8.km No. 3 Bilkent, Ankara Turkey.
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the sonographic echogenicity of embryos is associated with cardiac activity in utero.
Methods:
The present study reviewed a total of 164 embryos having a gestational age between 6 and 8 weeks. These embryos were examined by transvaginal ultrasonography and a comparison of their echogenicity was made with respect to those of the placenta and the myometrium. Grade II embryos were less echogenic than the placenta or had similar echogenicity with the myometrium, whereas grade I embryos shared the same echogenicity as the placenta. In contrast, grade III embryos were less echogenic than the myometrium.
Results:
Most of the embryos with cardiac activity were detected to have grade II echogenicity (78/130, 60.0%), whereas the remaining embryos had grade I echogenicity (52/130, 40.0%). In contrast, most of the embryos without cardiac activity had grade III echogenicity (20/34, 58.8%), whereas the remaining embryos had either grade II (8/34, 23.5%) or grade I (6/34, 17.7%) echogenicity.
Conclusions:
Decreased echogenicity of embryos on grayscale ultrasound in the early first trimester is correlated with an absence of cardiac activity.
