Normal values of cardiac axis (CA) measurements in healthy fetuses during the first trimester screening ultrasound
-
Assaad Kesrouani
,
Wael Abdallah
Abstract
Objectives
To report the normal fetal cardiac axis (CA) values at the time of the first trimester screening ultrasound.
Methods
Standardized images and measurement of the CA were obtained from 100 healthy fetuses between 11+0 and 13+6 weeks of gestation along with the nucal thichkness (NT), Crown–rump length (CRL) and other measurements. We excluded cases with abnormal NT, later diagnosis of abnormalities, and suspected fetal cardiopathy during the pregnancy follow-up. Data analysis was performed after all the patients delivered and cardiopathy was excluded.
Results
CA was measurable in all the cases. Higher CRL was associated with a decrease in the CA. The mean ± SD embryonic/fetal CA was 48±5,2°, ranging from 39 to 60°, The 2.5 percentile was defined at 40° and the 97.5 percentile at 59°. The Pearson test resulted in a significant correlation between CA and CRL with a coefficient R of 70% and p-value <0.01.
Conclusions
CA tends to decrease at the 11 to 13+6 gestational ages. We defined 2.5 and 97.5% curves for the normal values of CA in our Middle Eastern population. A larger study will be required to differentiate normal and abnormal values for the early detection of heart abnormalities.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Dr. Ghassan Sleilaty for his help in the statistical analysis of this study.
Research funding: None declared.
Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.
Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study.
Ethical approval: This study abides by the principles of the Helsinki Declaration and has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Saint Joseph University in Beirut and is registered as CEHDF-1132.
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© 2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- In Memorian
- Robert L. Brent, MD, PhD (1927–2021)
- Review
- Implications of the vaginal microbiome and potential restorative strategies on maternal health: a narrative review
- Original Articles – Obstetrics
- Disorders of placental villous maturation are present in one-third of cases with spontaneous preterm labor
- Gestational iron deficiency anemia is associated with preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, and postpartum infections
- Women with high plasma levels of PBDE-47 are at increased risk of preterm birth
- Racial disparities in recurrent preterm delivery risk: mediation analysis of prenatal care timing
- Doppler ultrasonography of the uterine artery in correlation with KANET
- The cumulative impact of parity on the body mass index (BMI) in a non-selected Lower Saxony population
- The relation between second-trimester placental elasticity and poor obstetric outcomes in low-risk pregnancies
- Comparison of pregnancy outcomes after second trimester amniocentesis between procedures performed by experts and non-experts
- Effect of vitamin D3 supplementation during pregnancy on high risk factors — a randomized controlled trial
- Educating future professionals in perinatal medicine: the attitude of medical and nursing students towards childbirth
- Original Articles – Fetus
- Normal values of cardiac axis (CA) measurements in healthy fetuses during the first trimester screening ultrasound
- Original Articles – Neonates
- Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on breastfeeding rates in a neonatal intensive care unit
- Factors associated with extubation failure in very low birth weight infants: a cohort study in the northeast Brazil
- Perinatal outcome of in vitro fertilization pregnancies in women with polycystic ovary syndrome by pregravid BMI
- Evaluation of audio-voice guided application for neonatal resuscitation: a prospective, randomized, pilot study
- Letter to the Editor
- Systematic screening for SARS-CoV-2 in pregnant women admitted for delivery: not as easy as it sounds
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- In Memorian
- Robert L. Brent, MD, PhD (1927–2021)
- Review
- Implications of the vaginal microbiome and potential restorative strategies on maternal health: a narrative review
- Original Articles – Obstetrics
- Disorders of placental villous maturation are present in one-third of cases with spontaneous preterm labor
- Gestational iron deficiency anemia is associated with preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, and postpartum infections
- Women with high plasma levels of PBDE-47 are at increased risk of preterm birth
- Racial disparities in recurrent preterm delivery risk: mediation analysis of prenatal care timing
- Doppler ultrasonography of the uterine artery in correlation with KANET
- The cumulative impact of parity on the body mass index (BMI) in a non-selected Lower Saxony population
- The relation between second-trimester placental elasticity and poor obstetric outcomes in low-risk pregnancies
- Comparison of pregnancy outcomes after second trimester amniocentesis between procedures performed by experts and non-experts
- Effect of vitamin D3 supplementation during pregnancy on high risk factors — a randomized controlled trial
- Educating future professionals in perinatal medicine: the attitude of medical and nursing students towards childbirth
- Original Articles – Fetus
- Normal values of cardiac axis (CA) measurements in healthy fetuses during the first trimester screening ultrasound
- Original Articles – Neonates
- Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on breastfeeding rates in a neonatal intensive care unit
- Factors associated with extubation failure in very low birth weight infants: a cohort study in the northeast Brazil
- Perinatal outcome of in vitro fertilization pregnancies in women with polycystic ovary syndrome by pregravid BMI
- Evaluation of audio-voice guided application for neonatal resuscitation: a prospective, randomized, pilot study
- Letter to the Editor
- Systematic screening for SARS-CoV-2 in pregnant women admitted for delivery: not as easy as it sounds
