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Nuchal Translucency and Congenital Heart Defects.
A Sofia-Gonçalves1,2, L Guedes-Martins1,2,3,4,5
1Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, University of Porto, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal.
Current Cardiology Reviews
|January 26, 2024
Summary
Increased nuchal translucency in fetuses may indicate congenital heart defects. This review explores the link between elevated nuchal translucency measurements and specific heart abnormalities in developing fetuses.
Area of Science:
- Prenatal diagnosis
- Fetal medicine
- Cardiology
Background:
- Nuchal translucency (NT) is fluid in the fetal neck, measured via ultrasound between 11-13 weeks + 6 days gestation.
- Elevated NT, exceeding 95th/99th percentile or 2.5/3.5 mm, is linked to potential fetal abnormalities.
- Previous research suggests a direct correlation between increased NT and congenital heart defects (CHDs).
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the relationship between increased nuchal translucency and CHDs.
- To identify specific CHDs most frequently associated with elevated NT.
- To assess NT as a potential screening tool for CHDs in euploid fetuses.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies investigating NT and CHDs.
- Analysis of reported NT cutoff values for CHD detection.
- Synthesis of findings on the association between NT and various CHDs.
Main Results:
- Significant variability exists in established NT cutoff values for CHD screening.
- Certain CHDs show a stronger association with increased NT than others.
- The direct proportionality between NT and CHDs is supported by multiple studies.
Conclusions:
- Increased NT is a significant marker for potential CHDs.
- Further research is needed to standardize NT cutoff values for reliable CHD screening.
- NT measurement can aid in identifying fetuses requiring further cardiac evaluation.
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