Cardiovascular imaging of the pregnant patient

The purpose of this review is to describe the selection and methods of imaging of pregnant women with cardiovascular conditions.

Common cardiovascular conditions may occur in 1% of all pregnant women. The selection and methods of imaging studies require thoughtful planning. Use of radiation, radiopharmaceuticals, and contrast agents should be minimized. Pulmonary and cardiac CT angiography deliver minimal fetal radiation, and ventilation-perfusion scintigraphy presents relatively low fetal irradiation. Cardiac catheterization, coronary angiography, and electrophysiologic procedures, including complex interventions, also cause relatively low fetal exposure. Even nuclear cardiology procedures are unlikely to exceed negligible-risk (50 mGy cutoff) fetal radiation doses.