Fetal echocardiography: Present and future applications

Abstract

Fetal heart motion was observed by T‐M‐mode echocardiography from the twelfth to fortieth week of gestation in 47 apparently normal pregnancies. In the earliest case (at 12 weeks), cardiac pulsations were recorded in a fetus in which the heart sounds couldnot be detected by Doppler ultrasound. The left and right ventricular dimensionsand left‐to‐right ventricular ratios were determined in 24 of the 35 fetuses in which high‐quality images were obtained. Interventricular septal motion was evaluated in 30 of these 35 fetuses. Potential clinical applications of echocardiography in evaluating fetal status are also presented.