Ultrasound can screen whether your fetus has congenital heart disease.

If a fetus has congenital heart disease, no abnormal symptoms are present so you will not know about it. This is because when the fetus is inside the mother, it receives nutrients and gas exchanges via the placenta. This makes it hard to know that your child has congenital heart disease. Congenital heart disease in fetuses can be detected only by ultrasound or fetal echocardiogram.

Fetal echocardiogram is an ultrasound test aimed at screening the fetus for cardiovascular abnormalities. It can be performed as soon as the mother is 16 weeks pregnant or more up until nearly the delivery date. The suitable time during pregnancy for screening is around 18-22 weeks, and, if possible, fetal echocardiogram should be performed on every pregnant mother or those with the following indications:

1.The fetus has risks or abnormalities from screening by an obstetrician. For example, the fetus does not develop according to gestational age or experiences certain organ abnormalities like cleft palate, brain abnormalities, bone abnormalities, abnormal heart beat or abnormal heart size, including chromosomal abnormalities.

2.The mother has risk factors or chronic diseases such as congenital heart disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, connective tissue disease, diabetes, hypertension and pregnancy infections like rubella, toxoplasmosis, coxsackievirus and mumps, etc.

3.A family risk such as a parent or relative having congenital heart disease or chromosomal abnormalities like Marfan’s syndrome, Noonan syndrome and tuberous sclerosis, etc.

4.The pregnant mother has older age (older than 35 years).

Benefits of Fetal Echocardiogram

In addition to allow you to know whether or not the fetus has congenital heart disease, it also allows you to know the severity of the abnormality, thus making it possible to plan the appropriate treatment. For example, treatment might be possible right away during pregnancy, such as in the case of a fetus having an abnormally fast heartbeat, which can be treated by administering a drug through the mother or by injecting the drug into the umbilical via the mother’s abdomen. Otherwise, if a fetus shows signs of heart failure, a drug can also be administered via the mother to the fetus. This makes it possible to improve the circulatory system until the fetus develops sufficiently for a live birth to occur by caesarian section or natural birth. Regardless of whether or not there is congenital heart disease, the screening also provides additional data to the obstetrician in whether to pursue additional tests. This is because other organ abnormalities might be present, not to mention chromosomal abnormalities. All of these tests can enable effective and accurate treatment planning for the fetus. Moreover, fetal echocardiogram data showing presence or absence of congenital heart disease should not be used as the sole indication for pregnancy termination.

You may find our specialist at our Pediatric Center
Phyathai 2 Hospital
International Correspondence Center

Tel: +66-2617-2444 ext. 2020 or 2047 E mail: onestop@phyathai.com

Ultrasound can screen whether your fetus has congenital heart disease.

Health Article

Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery

Water Vapor Therapy for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Do not fear intestinal surgery if you are not yet aware of this

Hemifacial spasm

Voice Feminization Surgery

Laryngeal Cancer

Internal Links

External Links