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Previous Volume 306:568-575 March 11, 1982 Number 10 Next

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Abstract

Thirteen fetuses with nonimmune hydrops (22 to 39 weeks of gestation) were evaluated with two-dimensional and M-mode echocardiography. Ten fetuses had cardiovascular abnormalities resulting in heart failure, and three had noncardiac causes of hydrops. In three cases, hydrops was caused by supraventricular tachycardia. One of these fetuses responded to cardioversion at birth, another responded to transplacental digoxin therapy, and the third died with atrial flutter and high-grade atrioventricular block before delivery. There were no cases of "idiopathic" hydrops. Our results show that fetal echocardiography is useful in determining cardiac causes of in utero heart failure resulting in hydrops fetalis. The fetal echocardiogram may also be used in monitoring transplacental therapy of heart failure.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Fesslova', V, Nava, S, Villa, L, the Fetal Cardiology Study Group of the Italian So, (1999). Evolution and long term outcome in cases with fetal diagnosis of congenital heart disease: Italian multicentre study. Heart 82: 594-599 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Filloux, F., Kelsey, D. K., Bose, C. L., Veasy, L. G., Gooch, W.M. (1985). Hydrops Fetalis with Supraventricular Tachycardia and Cytomegalovirus Infection. CLIN PEDIATR 24: 534-536