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Published on: February 2, 2015
First Trimester Prenatal Diagnosis of a Conotruncal Anomaly Using Spatiotemporal Image Correlation Imaging Confirmed
Balaganesh Karmegaraj1, Vani Udhayakumar2, Gigi Selvan2
1Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, AIMS Ponekkara PO, Kochi, Kerala, India.
Insights
Four-dimensional spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) helps diagnose fetal heart defects early. Autopsy confirmation refines diagnosis, aiding future pregnancy counseling for congenital heart disease (CHD).
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Imaging
- Prenatal Diagnosis
Background:
- Fetal echocardiography is primary for detecting congenital heart diseases (CHD).
- Early diagnosis of complex fetal heart disease is challenging due to small fetal size.
- Fetopsy confirms abnormalities, crucial for accurate genetic counseling.
Observation:
- A conotruncal anomaly was diagnosed at 12 weeks gestation using spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC).
- The case involved Type I Truncus arteriosus, a complex congenital heart defect.
- Four-dimensional STIC imaging demonstrated incremental benefits in evaluating fetal cardiac anomalies.
Findings:
- STIC imaging facilitated early diagnosis of a complex conotruncal anomaly.
- Fetopsy confirmed the diagnosis of Type I Truncus arteriosus.
- Autopsy findings allowed for further refinement of the diagnosis.
Implications:
- Four-dimensional STIC imaging enhances prenatal diagnosis of fetal cardiac anomalies.
- Combining STIC imaging with autopsy improves diagnostic accuracy for congenital heart disease.
- Accurate diagnosis aids in genetic counseling for future pregnancies affected by CHD.
Abstract:
BackgroundFetal echocardiography continues to be the first line investigation for detecting congenital heart diseases (CHD). As accurate and complete diagnosis of complex heart disease is often difficult in the first trimester due to small size of the fetal heart, confirmation/expanded description by fetopsy provides the best information for accurate counseling for future pregnancies. Although non invasive fetal autopsy alternatives have been investigated with favorable results, conventional autopsy remains the gold standard procedure used to confirm the fetal abnormalities. Case report: We describe a conotruncal anomaly diagnosed at 12 weeks gestation using spatiotemporal image. The fetopsy confirmed the diagnosis of Type I Truncus arteriosus. Conclusion: Four-dimensional STIC imaging provides incremental benefits in evaluation of fetal cardiac anomalies, and confirmation by autopsy findings allows further refinement of the diagnosis.
