Fetal echocardiography: reference values for the Chinese population
-
Xiaoyan Gu
,
Ye Zhang
Abstract
Objective:
Global racial variability in human development can lead to differences in size of fetal cardiac structures during gestation. Our objective is to establish normal reference ranges of fetal cardiac dimensions between 20 and 34 weeks from fetal echocardiograms recorded at a single center in China.
Methods:
A prospective cross-sectional study was undertaken on single pregnancies with normal fetuses of varying gestational ages (GAs). A total of 4396 normal fetuses were divided into 15 groups from 20 to 34 weeks according to the GA. Measurements included the inner diameter of the fetal cardiac chambers and arteries, the aortic arch isthmus (AI), the descending aorta (DAO), the ductus arteriosus (DA), and the foramen ovale (FO). Measurements were statistically analyzed and regression analysis was applied to assess for correlation with GA.
Results:
Normal reference values of fetal cardiovascular dimensions between 20 and 34 weeks were obtained from 4396 subjects at a single center in China. Measurements of fetal cardiac structures increase with advancing GA. It seems there is no difference in r values among linear, cubic, and quadratic model analyses (P > 0.05). However, the r values for the exponential models appear to be smaller than those of the other three models (P < 0.05). Ratios of the diameters of fetal cardiac structures were calculated in order to identify for differential changes in the growth of structures.
Conclusions:
The presented data derived from 4396 normal fetuses provide the reference values of fetal echocardiography in China, which provide guidance to fetal echocardiography examinations.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge Dr J. V. (Ian) Nixon contributing his technical advice to the studies.
Funding: National Science Funding (Grant/Award Number: ‘81301241’), National Twelve-Five science and technology support program (Grant/Award Number: ‘2014BAI08B07’), Beijing Key Laboratory of Maternal-Fetal Medicine in fetal heart disease (Grant/Award Number: ‘BZ0308’).
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The authors stated that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this article.
©2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- Fetal diagnosis and therapy: a continously evolving discipline
- Highlight articles
- Prenatally diagnosed fetal tumors of the head and neck: a systematic review with antenatal and postnatal outcomes over the past 20 years
- Prenatal screening for microcephaly: an update after three decades
- Fetal echocardiography: reference values for the Chinese population
- Multi-fetal pregnancy reduction (MFPR) to twins or singleton – medical justification and ethical slippery slope
- Combined screening test for trisomy 21 – is it as efficient as we believe?
- Fetal loss following invasive prenatal testing: a comparison of transabdominal chorionic villus sampling, transcervical chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis
- Comparison of adverse perinatal outcomes after single-needle and double-needle CVS techniques
- Prenatal decision-making in the second and third trimester in trisomy 21-affected pregnancies
- Role of collagen type IV in the pathogenesis of increased prenasal thickness in Down syndrome fetuses: sonographic and immunohistological findings
- Congenital diaphragmatic hernia: endotracheal fluid phospholipidic profile following tracheal occlusion in an experimental model
- Original articles
- The effect of intraumbilical fetal nutrition via a subcutaneously implanted port system on amino acid concentration by severe IUGR human fetuses
- Anti-inflammatory Elafin in human fetal membranes
- Recombinant vascular endothelial growth factor 121 injection for the prevention of fetal growth restriction in a preeclampsia mouse model
- Estimation of fetal weight by ultrasonography after preterm premature rupture of membranes: comparison of different formulas
- Congress Calendar
- Congress Calendar
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- Fetal diagnosis and therapy: a continously evolving discipline
- Highlight articles
- Prenatally diagnosed fetal tumors of the head and neck: a systematic review with antenatal and postnatal outcomes over the past 20 years
- Prenatal screening for microcephaly: an update after three decades
- Fetal echocardiography: reference values for the Chinese population
- Multi-fetal pregnancy reduction (MFPR) to twins or singleton – medical justification and ethical slippery slope
- Combined screening test for trisomy 21 – is it as efficient as we believe?
- Fetal loss following invasive prenatal testing: a comparison of transabdominal chorionic villus sampling, transcervical chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis
- Comparison of adverse perinatal outcomes after single-needle and double-needle CVS techniques
- Prenatal decision-making in the second and third trimester in trisomy 21-affected pregnancies
- Role of collagen type IV in the pathogenesis of increased prenasal thickness in Down syndrome fetuses: sonographic and immunohistological findings
- Congenital diaphragmatic hernia: endotracheal fluid phospholipidic profile following tracheal occlusion in an experimental model
- Original articles
- The effect of intraumbilical fetal nutrition via a subcutaneously implanted port system on amino acid concentration by severe IUGR human fetuses
- Anti-inflammatory Elafin in human fetal membranes
- Recombinant vascular endothelial growth factor 121 injection for the prevention of fetal growth restriction in a preeclampsia mouse model
- Estimation of fetal weight by ultrasonography after preterm premature rupture of membranes: comparison of different formulas
- Congress Calendar
- Congress Calendar
