Early fetal cardiac scan as an element of the sonographic first-trimester screening

Early fetal cardiac scan (EFCS) is becoming an increasingly common element of the first trimester ultrasound screening carried out at 11-14 gestational weeks. It offers the first possibility to detect congenital heart defects (CHD) or, in ambiguous cases, to identify those pregnancies where a more detailed cardiac scan would be required later in pregnancy. The size of the fetal heart at the end of the first trimester and the associated relatively low image resolution make it impossible to capture all cardiac data to inform the ultimate picture. However, even at this stage, cues of anatomical and functional abnormalities can be picked up, which suggest not only a CHD, but also a likelihood of cardiovascular symptoms typical of genetic disorders. EFCS should focus on cardiac position, atrioventricular (AV) connections, AV valve function, initial assessment of ventriculo-arterial (VA) connections and the presence of red flag signs in the three vessel and trachea view (3VTV). Proper use of color Doppler mapping makes it possible to overcome the low resolution of B-mode to a certain extent. Here we present our long-term experience in EFCS.