Longitudinal Surveillance of Fetal Heart Failure Using Speckle Tracking Analysis

Area of Science:

• Fetal Cardiology
• Prenatal Diagnosis
• Cardiac Imaging

Background:

• Long-term monitoring of fetal heart failure presents significant challenges in prenatal cardiology.
• Standard echocardiography parameters can be limited by fetal and maternal factors, impacting reproducibility and sensitivity for life-threatening conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of modern speckle tracking technology combined with standard echocardiography for monitoring fetal heart failure.
• To assess if speckle tracking parameters offer improved diagnostic and prognostic capabilities compared to conventional methods.

Main Methods:

• Utilized speckle tracking echocardiography alongside standard echocardiographic measurements.
• Analyzed parameters assessing fetal cardiac architecture (e.g., Global sphericity Index) and function (e.g., fractional area change, ejection fraction).

Main Results:

• Speckle tracking parameters demonstrated superiority in assessing fetal cardiac architecture and function.
• Global sphericity Index, fractional area change (FAC), and ejection fraction (EF) changes indicated worsening fetal heart failure.
• Increased fetal heart size parameters via speckle tracking aided diagnosis and prognosis.

Conclusions:

• Speckle tracking echocardiography enhances the diagnosis and monitoring of fetal heart failure.
• Decreased FAC and EF in ventricles and left ventricle, respectively, suggest an unfavorable prognosis.
• This technology improves prognostic conclusions regarding the infant's clinical condition after birth.