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Updated: May 13, 2026

A Pipeline to Characterize Structural Heart Defects in the Fetal Mouse
Published on: December 16, 2022
Perinatal diagnosis of heart defects
Edward Araujo Júnior1, Marina Maccagnano Zamith, Liliam Cristine Rolo
1São Paulo Federal University (UNIFESP), Department of Obstetrics, Rua Carlos Weber, 950 apto. 113 Visage, Alto da Lapa, São Paulo, CEP 05303-000, SP, Brazil +55 11 32943220 ; +55 11 32943220 ; araujojred@terra.com.br.
Importance Of The Field:
Heart defects are the most frequent congenital malformations, affecting 8 in every 1000 neonates. As 90% of infants born with a congenital heart defects (CHD) have no known risk factor, screening for heart defects in every routine obstetric ultrasound is essential for antenatal diagnosis.
Areas Covered In This Review:
Two-dimensional echocardiography allied with three- and four-dimensional technologies such as spatio-temporal image correlation offer means for thoroughly evaluating fetal cardiac anatomy.
What The Reader Will Gain:
This article reviews the most relevant aspects of antenatal screening and diagnosis of CHD using sonography and echocardiography. It includes first trimester diagnosis and three- and four-dimensional techniques.
Take Home Message:
These antenatal diagnostic tools play an important role in optimization of obstetric care and neonatal management, thus potentially reducing perinatal mortality.
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