A review of findings in fetal cardiac section drawings: part 4: sagittal and parasagittal views

J Ultrasound Med. 2008 Jun;27(6):919-23. doi: 10.7863/jum.2008.27.6.919.

Abstract

Objective: The goal of this presentation is to review some of the common and rare fetal heart abnormalities and to provide an easy approach to these findings with schematic drawings. In this presentation, we limit the scope to the sagittal and parasagittal sections.

Methods: Over the past 10 years, we collected cases in which the common views of the heart were abnormal and the differential diagnoses that existed for each. This presentation shows the normal sonographic sections and then variations of these sections and the associated anomalies. We used illustrative drawings to present these findings, enabling us to point out the main sonographic features of abnormalities of the heart.

Results: The work reviews 7 fetal heart abnormalities in schematic drawings.

Conclusions: This short review highlights several of the anomalies that can be recognized on the common sonographic views. The drawings tend to simplify the findings but should serve as a basis for those doing fetal echocardiography when they encounter an unusual finding.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Coronary Vessel Anomalies / diagnostic imaging
  • Echocardiography
  • Female
  • Heart / embryology*
  • Heart Defects, Congenital / diagnostic imaging*
  • Heart Defects, Congenital / pathology
  • Humans
  • Models, Anatomic
  • Pregnancy
  • Ultrasonography, Prenatal / methods*