Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Fetal echogenic cardiac foci: prospective postnatal electrocardiographic follow-up

Journal of Perinatology volume 33, pages 268–270 (2013)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective:

To determine postnatal electrocardiographic abnormalities in fetuses with echogenic cardiac foci (ECF) and no congenital heart disease (CHD).

Study Design:

A total of 41 fetuses with ECF and no CHD, were prospectively followed after birth with serial echocardiograms, electrocardiogram (ECG) and 24-h ECG (Holter). The primary outcome was presence of significant abnormalities in the ECG or Holter.

Result:

ECF diagnosed at a mean (s.d.) of 25.6 (4.6) weeks gestation, were located in the ventricles and in the atria in 39 (95.1%), and 2 fetuses (4.9%), respectively. Postnatal follow-up was for 8.1 (4.6) months (range 1 to 24). None of the infants had any clinically significant abnormality in the ECG or Holter. ECF resolved in 10 infants (24.3%) by 24 months of age. There was no difference between infants with resolved or persistent ECF in various ECG or Holter measurements compared.

Conclusion:

Fetuses with ECF and no CHD have no significant postnatal electrocardiographic abnormalities, irrespective of ECF persistence or resolution.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Wolman I, Jaffe A, Geva E, Diamant S, Strauss S, Lessing JB et al. Intracardiac echogenic focus: no apparent association with structural cardiac abnormality. Fetal Diagn Ther 2000; 15: 216–218.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Wax JR, Mather J, Steinfeld JD, Ingardia CJ . Fetal intracardiac echogenic foci: current understanding and clinical significance. Obstet Gynecol Surv 2000; 55: 303–311.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Wax JR, Donnelly J, Carpenter M, Chard R, Pinette MG, Blackstone J et al. Childhood cardiac function after prenatal diagnosis of intracardiac echogenic foci. J Ultrasound Med 2003; 22: 783–787.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Degani S, Leibovitz Z, Shapiro I, Gonen R, Ohel G . Cardiac function in fetuses with intracardiac echogenic foci. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2001; 18: 131–134.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Perles Z, Nir A, Gavri S, Golender J, Rein AJ . Intracardiac echogenic foci have no hemodynamic significance in the fetus. Pediatr Cardiol 2010; 31: 7–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Lee W, Allan L, Carvalho JS, Chaoui R, Copel J, Devore G et al. ISUOG consensus statement: what constitutes a fetal echocardiogram? Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2008; 32: 239–242.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Garson A . Appendix: Tables of electrocardiographic normal values. In: Garson A (ed). The electrocardiogram in infants and children A systematic approach,. P Lea & Febiger: Philadelphia, 1983; pp 396–404.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Kampmann C, Wiethoff CM, Wenzel A, Stolz G, Betancor M, Wippermann CF et al. Normal values of M mode echocardiographic measurements of more than 2000 healthy infants and children in central Europe. Heart 2000; 83: 667–672.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Makarov LM, Komoliatova VN, Zeval′d SV, Schmidt G, Muller A, Grishkin AN . [Holter monitoring in healthy children during first days of life]. Kardiologiia 2009; 49: 27–30.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Salameh A, Gebauer RA, Grollmuss O, Vít P, Reich O, Janousek J . Normal limits for heart rate as established using 24-h ambulatory electrocardiography in children and adolescents. Cardiol Young 2008; 18: 467–472.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Rijnbeek PR, Witsenburg M, Schrama E, Hess J, Kors JA . New normal limits for the paediatric electrocardiogram. Eur Heart J 2001; 22: 702–711.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Firpo C, Hoffman JI, Silverman NH . Evaluation of fetal heart dimensions from 12 weeks to term. Am J Cardiol 2001; 87: 594–600.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Pandolfi M, Falsini G, Lazzerini S, Giani I, Rosati C, Mantini G . ECG monitoring in full-term infants. Analysis of the rhythm and variability of heart rate]. Pediatr Med Chir 1993; 15: 569–571.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Dildy GA, Judd VE, Clark SL . Prospective evaluation of the antenatal incidence and postnatal significance of the fetal echogenic cardiac focus: a case-control study. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1996; 175: 1008–1012.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Liu HH, Lin MT, Chang CC, Wang JK, Wu MH, Shyu MK et al. Postnatal outcome of fetal cardiac echogenic foci. J Formos Med Assoc 2002; 101: 329–336.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Achiron R, Lipitz S, Gabbay U, Yagel S . Prenatal ultrasonographic diagnosis of fetal heart echogenic foci: no correlation with Down syndrome. Obstet Gynecol 1997; 89: 945–948.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Carriço A, Matias A, Areias JC . How important is a cardiac echogenic focus in a routine fetal examination? Rev Port Cardiol 2004; 23: 459–461.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Makarov L, Komoliatova V, Zevald S, Schmidt G, Muller CA, Serebruany V . QT dynamicity, microvolt T-wave alternans, and heart rate variability during 24-h ambulatory electrocardiogram monitoring in the healthy newborn of first to fourth day of life. J Electrocardiol 2010; 43: 8–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Petrikovsky B, Challenger M, Gross B . Unusual appearances of echogenic foci within the fetal heart: are they benign? Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 1996; 8: 229–231.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Sotiriadis A, Makrydimas G, Ioannidis JP . Diagnostic performance of intracardiac echogenic foci for Down syndrome: a meta-analysis. Obstet Gynecol 2003; 101: 1009–1016.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Brown DL, Roberts DJ, Miller WA . Left ventricular echogenic focus in the fetal heart: pathologic correlation. J Ultrasound Med 1994; 13: 613–616.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Bronshtein M, Jakobi P, Ofir C . Multiple fetal intracardiac echogenic foci: not always a benign sonographic finding. Prenat Diagn 1996; 16: 131–135.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates

    M A Hamdan, B A El Zoabi, A Al Shamsi & F Chedid

  2. Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates

    G N Bekdache

Authors
  1. M A Hamdan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. B A El Zoabi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A Al Shamsi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. G N Bekdache
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. F Chedid
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M A Hamdan.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Supplementary Information accompanies the paper on the Journal of Perinatology website

Supplementary information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hamdan, M., El Zoabi, B., Al Shamsi, A. et al. Fetal echogenic cardiac foci: prospective postnatal electrocardiographic follow-up. J Perinatol 33, 268–270 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2011.113

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2011.113

Keywords

Search

Advanced search

Quick links