What is the interpretation of fetal heart echo?

Fetal heart echocardiography is one of the ways to diagnose heart diseases in the fetus. In this article, we talk about the interpretation of fetal heart echo and measures after diagnosis. This article is only about the answer of this test.

If the fetal heart echo results Your child's heart has a congenital defect. The pediatric cardiologist (cardiologist) will explain the necessary things related to this condition to you. ### Fetal cardiologist The fetal cardiologist will explain to you the conditions of pregnancy, childbirth and the possible need for heart surgery after the birth of the baby using the images of the fetal heart. In almost all cases; You are asked to do the necessary follow-ups regularly until delivery. He has obtained the required information. Also take actions if needed. The pediatric cardiologist will answer all your questions. You may need to see a heart surgeon or cardiologist in the future. To learn more about heart surgery or other procedures needed after the birth of a baby. Heart defects have significant consequences on the overall health of the fetus. Examining these issues can help you get a mental picture of the diseases that your baby may suffer from and also help you make decisions about your pregnancy.

The cardiologist will explain the information you need regarding genetic problems and answer all your questions. Your care team also includes doctors who specialize in high-risk obstetrics and gynecology (maternal and fetal specialists) and pediatric and neonatal genetics (neonatal specialists). The Fetal Care Center team will meet with you and during a session you can visit the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and find the necessary preparation for the delivery period and the care of the baby after delivery.

What happens after the fetal heart echo?

The doctor who performed echocardiography of your fetus. It examines the results obtained from the experiments. He or she may order additional tests or procedures. These tests and procedures may include the following: ### **Treatments after echo embryo** Treatment may include medication or, in certain cases, angiographic interventions to correct some heart problems in the fetus. ### **Fetal health evaluations** To check the overall health of the fetus, you may be asked to count the movements of the fetus. ### **test without stress** In this test, the heartbeat and movement of the fetus are examined. ### **Biophysical Characteristics (Biophysical Profile) (BPP)** This is an ultrasound test to check the overall health of the fetus. In this test, heart rate, breathing, movement, muscle mass and amniotic fluid amount are examined. ### **sonography or echocardiography** These are tests that are performed to confirm the presence of defects. Also, during these tests, the growth of the fetus is followed. Fetal heart changes are observed and other problems are investigated. ### **Amniocentesis** By performing this test, chromosomal and genetic disorders and some birth defects are diagnosed. The specialist doctor inserts a needle through the abdominal wall into the uterus and from the uterus into the amniotic sac. He can then take a sample of the amniotic fluid. ### **Genetic counseling** A counselor will help you learn how to care for a child with genetic problems. ### **sonography of the upper level of the fetus** Accurate ultrasound of the rest of the fetus is necessary to evaluate how the fetus grows. Monitor the health status of the fetus. The rest of the fetal body should be evaluated for other abnormalities.

If the examination of the fetal echocardiogram is done by a pediatric heart specialist, he will meet with you as soon as the examination of the tests is completed. It provides you with a detailed description of the results. If the initial study of these tests is done by a perinatologist and a heart defect is found. They will refer you to a pediatric heart specialist for accurate diagnosis and further advice.

What is the accuracy percentage of fetal heart echo?

Some problems, such as maternal lupus, even if the first test has normal results, still need to be repeated several times. Also, sometimes there may be a structure that cannot be seen as the doctor wants; In this case, you may need to repeat the imaging. Even though the test results may show a low percentage of a problem, your doctor may still ask you to repeat the test. Even if the results of all the tests are completely normal and of high quality, the occurrence of heart problems cannot be ruled out. This is because the blood circulation in the fetus is very different from the blood circulation in the newborn. In addition, if there are small cavities between the lower chambers of the heart, they cannot be easily seen. However, according to the normal blood circulation in the fetus, and the results obtained from the normal echocardiogram of the fetus, the doctor can provide you with relatively certain good news.

However, there are newer technologies that use vaginal transducers to observe fetal heart images from the twelfth week. If you had the scan done before the 18th week, you will most likely be asked to repeat the scan in the future and provide more definitive images to confirm the findings of the initial tests. In some cases, the 18th week is still too early to confirm the test results.

How does heart disease affect the fetus?

Some heart defects may significantly increase the possibility of some genetic problems such as Down syndrome or D George syndrome. If benign tumors are observed in the fetal echocardiogram. It increases the possibility of having a genetic syndrome that greatly affects abnormal brain development. This complication is called tuberous sclerosis. Examining these cases can give you an important set of information related to knowing the baby's condition. which will play a major role in deciding about your pregnancy. The cardiologist will provide you with information. during which it is determined. Whether you need to worry about other issues or not. However, when the subject is a worrying and important issue. You will be introduced to other members of the care team who work closely with the pediatric cardiologist. **Dr. Saeed Bitarafan, pediatric and fetal cardiologist** To read more, you can refer to the following article.

https://www.healthline.com/health/fetal-echocardiography