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Updated: May 24, 2026
Murine Fetal Echocardiography
Published on: February 15, 2013
Cardiac biometry and function in euploid fetuses with intracardiac echogenic foci
María C Facio1, Blas Hervías-Vivancos, José Román Broullón
1Division of Maternal and Fetal Medicine, University Hospital Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, Spain.
Objective:
To compare cardiac biometry and function between fetuses with and without intracardiac echogenic foci (ICEF).
Methods:
One hundred and fifty-two fetuses with ICEF were compared with 104 controls. Diastolic ventricular transverse diameters, systolic aortic and pulmonary diameters and interventricular septum were measured. Doppler measurements included pulmonary artery and aortic maximum systolic velocities, time to peak, velocity time integral and atrioventricular E/A ratios.
Results:
Only A wave in the mitral valve was slightly but significantly higher in the ICEF group (0.45 ± 0.07 m/s vs 0.43 ± 0.08 m/s, p = 0.03), but mitral E/A ratio was similar in both groups (0.61 ± 0.06 vs 0.60 ± 0.07, p = 0.22). There were no statistically significant differences in the rest of the studied variables between the two groups.
Conclusion:
Fetuses with ICEF do not have relevant abnormalities in either cardiac biometry or function. We suggest the presence of an isolated ICEF should not be an indication for fetal echocardiography as long as fetal morphology scan had been performed and revealed no other findings.
