Objectives: To evaluate the occurrence and the significance of echogenic foci in the fetal heart and to assess the prognosis of the fetus and child.
Setting: Department of Pediatrics and Prenatal Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Ostrava.
Design: Original article.
Methods: A retrospective study was conducted between 2008-2017. Fetal echocardiography was performed in the second trimester of pregnancy in the study population. The identification of echogenic heart foci, and their follow up during and after the pregnancy were performed by a pediatric cardiologist.
Results: In the monitored period, a total of 27,633 fetuses were examined. Isolated cardiac hyperechogenic foci were detected in 3% (829/27,633) of the fetuses. The foci was found in 93%, 5%, and 2% in the left ventricle, mainly in valvular apparatus of the mitral valve, in the both ventricles, and in the right ventricle, respectively. In 1% (11/829) of the fetuses with cardiac echogenic foci, the others concomitant pathologies (tricuspid regurgitation, extrasystoles, renal pathology) were found. No genetic abnormalities were detected in the fetuses with cardiac hyperechogenic foci.
Conclusion: The echogenic focus in fetal heart is a relatively common, mostly insignificant finding, with any serious consequences for the fetus and the child.
Keywords: echogenic focus; fetal echocardiography; tumor.