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Evaluation of the human fetal cardiac size and function
J C Veille1, M Sivakoff, M Nemeth
1Department of Reproductive Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.
American Journal of Perinatology
|January 1, 1990
Summary
Fetal cardiac development shows the right ventricle is larger than the left. Fetal cardiac output increases with gestational age by expanding ventricular size, not heart rate.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Fetal Medicine
- Echocardiography
Background:
- Understanding fetal cardiovascular physiology is crucial for assessing fetal well-being.
- M-mode echocardiography provides quantitative data on cardiac dimensions and function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the correlation between gestational age and cardiac measurements in normal fetuses.
- To compare right and left ventricular dimensions, stroke volume, and cardiac output in developing fetuses.
Main Methods:
- Two-dimensional-directed M-mode echocardiography was performed on 80 normal fetuses (17-42 weeks gestation).
- Measurements included ventricular dimensions, free wall thickness, fractional shortening, stroke volume, and cardiac output.
- The M-mode beam targeted the chordae tendineae at the atrioventricular valve tips.
Main Results:
- Right and left ventricular dimensions and wall thickness correlated significantly with gestational age.
- Stroke volume and cardiac output also showed a good correlation with gestational age.
- The right ventricle was significantly larger than the left ventricle; fractional shortening remained constant with advancing gestation.
Conclusions:
- The human fetal right ventricle, stroke volume, and cardiac output are slightly larger than the left.
- Fetal cardiac output growth is achieved by increasing ventricular size, not by changes in fractional shortening or heart rate.