Prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of fetal isolated left innominate vein under the aortic arch: A case report.

Abnormalities of the left innominate vein beneath the aortic arch are exceedingly rare. While they may not exhibit overt clinical symptoms, misdiagnosis, or failure to diagnose can significantly complicate and increase the risk associated with cardiac interventional procedures.

Diagnosis of retrotracheal left brachiocephalic vein with prenatal ultrasound: a case report.

Retroesophageal or retrotracheal left brachiocephalic vein (LBCV) is a rare anatomic variant that is often associated with congenital heart disease. It is rarely reported in fetal life, and an isolated fetal retroesophageal LBCV has a good prognosis: it is typically asymptomatic, although respiratory symptoms or swallowing disorders occasionally occur. A variant was observed on fetal echocardiography at 22+6 weeks of gestation. The 3-vessel view revealed a transverse section of a vessel to the left of the pulmonary artery. Tracing upwards along its long axis showed that the left subclavian vein joined the left internal jugular vein to form the LBCV, and tracing downwards revealed that the vessel traveled to the right and lower side, where it merged into the superior vena cava via the azygos vein behind the aortic arch. The variant was identified as retrotracheal LBCV. Three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of fetal great vessels was performed using temporal spatial correlation imaging. The left internal jugular vein and the left subclavian vein converged into the LBCV, then bypassed behind the trachea and converged into the superior vena cava via the azygous vein. As a 3D technique, spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC) can visualize the abnormal courses of LBCV, thus improving the diagnostic accuracy. This article presents the 2-dimensional (2D) ultrasound, color Doppler, and STIC findings of an isolated retrotracheal LBCV, which may inform the sonographic diagnosis of such variants.

Prenatal ultrasound combined with cardiovascular casts diagnose symmetrically complex cardiac malformations in two fetuses.

Dextrocardia with a ductus arteriosus (DA) malformation is extremely rare. Here, we present a case of dextrocardia complicated with a right DA that is circuitously connecting the pulmonary artery and the right brachiocephalic artery. Coincidentally, the deformities of this fetus are almost symmetrical with those in another fetus (also presented here), which is astonishing and meaningful. Dextrocardia is rare, complicated, and not well understood. In this report, we carefully compared prenatal echocardiographic images and cardiovascular casts from two fetuses. Our report of these cases may provide new insights for cardiologists to better understand dextrocardia and its associated malformations.

The role of perinatal cardiology in saving the life and its quality of fetuses, newborns and children (on the basis of own experience and review of the literature).

The role of prenatal cardiology and the organization of perinatal cardiological centers in early diagnostics and early therapeutic procedures in fetuses and newborns with cardiac malformations and circulatory disturbances was discussed on the basis of the literature and own experience. The possibilities of an early perinatal diagnosis and early therapeutic approaches to cardiac defects were presented. It was stressed that there is a necessity to broaden the educational aims in these areas and in the near future to prepare multidisciplinary teams working together in specialist centers.

Persistently elevated nuchal translucency and the fetal heart.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the outcome of fifteen cases with an elevated nuchal translucency (NT) which persisted into the second trimester as nuchal edema (NE) >6 mm whom underwent fetal echocardiography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cases were identified following retrospective review of cardiac and genetic findings in fetuses with NE. RESULTS: Minor congenital heart disease was identified in 3/15 by the second trimester. Agenesis of the ductus venosus was evident in four. Pulmonary valve stenosis was diagnosed in one fetus at the 20-week scan and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in one. However, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or pulmonary valve stenosis was present after birth in all surviving cases by 3 months of age. On the basis of intention to treat, 11/12 survived to delivery and 9/12 survived to 28 days. There were 6 deaths before 14 months of age as a result of severe hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Noonan syndrome was confirmed with genetic testing in 11/15 cases. CONCLUSIONS: All fetuses with NT and NE had evidence of congenital heart disease at birth, and therefore, late gestation and postnatal review is recommended even when second trimester echocardiogram is considered normal. There is a high prevalence of Noonan syndrome and targeted genetic analysis should be considered. The outcome in these cases is poor.

Ultrasound and echocardiographic findings obtained in the second and third trimesters of gestation in fetuses with normal karyotype and increased nuchal translucency.

INTRODUCTION: Numerous papers have proven that an increased nuchal translucency is connected with a raised risk of chromosomal aberrations, but few analyses are related to the further state of fetuses with a normal karyotype. THE AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of the study was to estimate the risk of cardiac defects and other developmental disorders in fetuses with increased nuchal translucency and normal findings of a standard cytogenetic examination. METHODS: The authors carried out a retrospective analysis of 5183 examinations of 3376 patients who reported to the Department of Diagnosis and Prophylaxis of Congenital Malformations in the Polish Mother's Memorial Hospital in Lódz in the period from January 2008 to March 2011 for prenatal ultrasound and echocardiographic examinations. The authors analyzed the results of the examinations performed in the second and third trimesters of gestation in fetuses with an increased nuchal translucency of ≥3 mm in the first trimester and with a normal karyotype. RESULTS: Fifty-seven patients (1.7% of the examined group) fulfilled the criteria necessary to be included in the study. In 31 pregnant women (54%) structural defects or anomalies of the fetus were found. Cardiac anomalies were detected in 17 fetuses (29.8%). The authors detected various types of cardiac defects such as tetralogy of Fallot, ventricular septal defect, atrioventricular septal defect, transposition of the great arteries and hypoplastic left heart syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: In more than half of the fetuses with an increased nuchal translucency (NT ≥ 3 mm) and a normal karyotype, developmental defects of various organs appeared in the further course of pregnancy: mainly heart defects that were either isolated, or accompanied other anomalies.

Concordancia entre ecocardiografía prenatal y posnatal en pacientes con cardiopatías congénitas: Hospital de Niños Dorctor, Roberto Del Río / Concordance between prenatal and posnatal echocardiography in patients with congenital heart defect

Antecedentes: En Chile las malformaciones congénitas son la primera causa de mortalidad neonatal precoz, siendo las cardiopatías congénitas su principal factor. La incorporación de la ecocardiografía prenatal es de gran ayuda en su pesquisa precoz. Objetivos: Evaluar la ecocardiografía prenatal como prueba diagnóstica y su concordancia con la ecocardiografía posnatal. Métodos: Se analizaron embarazadas derivadas al Hospital de Niños Dr. Roberto del Río entre abril 2004 y abril 2008, por sospecha de cardiopatías congénitas con posterior control neonatal. Resultados: Se evaluaron 188 embarazadas tanto con diagnóstico de cardiopatía congénita como con ecocardiografía normal. La edad gestacional promedio de derivación fue de 32 semanas, siendo la principal causa la sospecha de cardiopatía congénita en el examen obstétrico de rutina. Como prueba diagnóstica se obtuvo una sensibilidad de 100 por ciento y especificidad de 40 por ciento con una moderada concordancia entre ésta y el examen postnatal. Como prueba diagnóstica la ecocardiografía prenatal, se obtuvo una sensibilidad de 100 por ciento y especificidad de 89 por ciento del examen, al ser evaluada como cardiopatías en general, con una muy buena concordancia entre ésta y el examen postnatal. Discusión: Existe una tardía derivación y diagnóstico prenatal de las cardiopatías congénitas a nivel nacional, siendo importante capacitar aún más a los obstetras que realizan este tamizaje. La ecocardiografía prenatal realizada en nuestro centro por cardiólogos es una confiable herramienta diagnóstica con una muy buena concordancia con la ecocardiografía posnatal.

Background: In Chile, congenital malformations are the first cause of early neonatal mortality, the congenital heart defects its the main factor. The incorporation of antenatal echocardiography is very helpful in your research early. Objectives: To evalúate prenatal echocardiography as a diagnosis test and their concordance with postnatal echocardiography. Methods: We analyzed pregnancy who were derived to the Hospital de Niños Dr. Roberto del Rio, between April 2004 and April 2008, where studied because suspicion of having congenital heart defects with subsequent neonatal control. Results: 188 pregnancy were evaluated either with a diagnosis of congenital heart defect or with normal echocardiography. The mean gestational age of derivation was 32 weeks, the main causes the suspicion of congenital heart defect on routine obstetric examination. When being studied as diagnosis test it was obtained a sensitivity of 100 percent and a specificity of 40 percent with a modérate concordance between both echocardiographies. When analyzing with the diagnosis test prenatal echocardiography, it was obtained a sensitivity of 100 percent and a specificity of 89 percent of the review, when evaluated as general heart defect, with a very good concordance between it and the postnatal examination. Discussion: There is a late referral and prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart defect at national level, being important to train obstetricians who perform this screening. Prenatal echocardiography performed by cardiologists at our center is a reliable diagnosis tool with a very good concordance with postnatal echocardiography.

El diagnóstico prenatal de cardiopatías congénitas por ecocardiografía en la provincia de Matanzas, Cuba, de 1990 a 1995 / Prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease by echocardiography in Matanzas province, Cuba, from 1990 to 1995

Se presenta el análisis del diagnóstico intrauterino de cardiopatías congénitas por medio de ecocardiografia fetal realizado de 1990 a 1995 en la Provincia de Matanzas Cuba. Se revisaron todas las pacientes con factores e indicadores de riesgo. Se detectaron 39 cardiopatías complejas, siendo las más frecuentes el corazón univentricular, la hipoplasia del ventrículo izquierdo y la atresia pulmonar. Los motivos de referencia significativos fueron la vista de cuatro cavidades anormales y las anomalías fetales asociadas. El 66% de las malformaciones fueron diagnosticadas antes de las 24 semanas de gestación. Se observó que el grupo de pacientes no diagnosticados prenatalmente tuvo una mortalidad perinatal significativa. Aunque el 32% de los niños con cardiopatías complejas nacidos en ese período fue diagnosticado antenatalmente, es necesario incrementar dicho resultado buscando reducir la morbi-mortalidad debido a estas anomalías, al ofrecerle las mejores condiciones de sobrevida al momento del nacimiento.

We analyze the intra-uterine diagnoses of congenital cardiopathies performed by means of fetal echocardiographies from 1990 to 1995 in Matanzas, Cuba. All patients were examined in search of risk factors and indicators; 39 complex cardiopathies were detected, the most frequent ones were univentricular heart, hypoplasia of the left ventricle, and pulmonary atresia. Significant references were an abnormal image of the four cavities and the associated fetal anomalies; 66% of the malformations were diagnosed before week 24 of gestation. It was observed that the group of patients not diagnosed prenatally had a significant perinatal mortality. Although 32% of the new-borns' complex cardiopathies in that period were diagnosed prenatally, it is necessary to improve this result aimed at reducing the morbidity and mortality due to these anomalies, offering the best survival conditions at the time of birth. (Arch Cardiol Mex 2005; 75:159-164).