Background: Despite technological advances in fetal echocardiography, the assessment of aortic arch is challenging due to particularities anatomy and physiology. Both isolated dilatation right heart chambers, direct visualization measurements are related left obstructive disease, such as Coarctation Aorta (CoAo). So far, there still no consensus published literature about which echocardiographi...

OBJECTIVE Double-outlet right ventricle (DORV) is a complex congenital heart defect with heterogeneous anatomy. Patients require a variety of surgical interventions, and the long-term prognosis is variable. Therefore, accurate prenatal diagnosis is important in providing parents with appropriate counseling. DESIGN Medical records were reviewed in patients with a diagnosis of DORV who had feta...

The association of congenital heart defects with trisomy 21 was reported over 50 years ago and heart defects remain one of the most common and lethal abnormalities present postnatally in individuals affected by Down syndrome1–4. The purpose of this Editorial is to review the use of second-trimester fetal echocardiography as an adjunct to the genetic sonogram from a clinical perspective, based o...

Congenital heart disease is the most common fetal congenital malformations; however, the prenatal rate detection still is low. The two-dimensional echocardiography is the "gold standard" exam to screening and diagnosis of congenital heart disease during the prenatal; however, this exam is operator-depending and it is realized only in high risk pregnancies. Spatio-temporal image correlation is a...

Cardiac anatomy is complex and often difficult to visualize or comprehend. 3D echocardiography is an area undergoing rapid development that represents a natural extension of conventional sonography methods which require integrating a series of 2D image slices to develop a 3D impression of underlying anatomy or pathology. This paper will review some of the basic concepts behind three-dimensional...

In a series of 1600 pregnancies 34 cases of congenital heart disease were correctly identified by fetal echocardiography. In each case echocardiographic diagnosis was confirmed by anatomical study. Termination of pregnancy was done electively in 14 cases: in six because of the identification of a cardiac anomaly and in the remaining eight because of multiple congenital anomalies. The remaining ...

Objectives 1. to analyze the prevalence of fetal malformations in pre-gestational diabetic pregnancies compared to uncomplicated non diabetic pregnancies. 2. to evaluate the clinical utility of a comprehensive program inclusive of clinical features, glycemic assessment and prenatal detailed ultrasound with fetal echocardiography for congenital anomalies in pregnancies complicated by diabetes me...

Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome is a severe complication occurring in 10% of monochorionic twin pregnancies. The disease is usually explained as due to an intrauterine imbalance in intertwin blood exchange, which leads to a volume depleted-donor twin and an overfilled recipient twin. The recipient has signs of cardiac dysfunction, which can be measured using echocardiography or blood and amni...