Multimodal Approach (MRI and Ultrasonography) to the Diagnosis of Fetal Congenital Heart Diseases

Abstract

Introduction: As the rate of congenital heart diseases (CHD) remains high, medical imaging specialists face a task of early diagnosis of CHD with minimal cost and burden to pregnant women and fetuses and need to verify the prenatal diagnosis in order to develop a strategy for managing pregnant women carrying a fetus with CHD.

Objective: To optimize diagnostic measures in fetuses with CHD by comparing fetal echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Materials and methods: We retrospectively evaluated findings from 35 fetal standard ultrasonography reports, 29 echocardiography reports, and 35 fetal autopsy reports (termination for medical reasons). We assessed 18 cases of CHD diagnosed by ultrasonography findings on the second screening; in 34% of the cases patients also underwent MRI at that time and a repeated procedure 30 weeks later.

Results: When standard ultrasonography and an extended protocol with echocardiography were used together, diagnostic errors were 14.3%. In 85.7% of the fetuses, the findings of different imaging techniques fully coincided with the autopsy findings.

Conclusions: In this cohort of pregnant women, the second screening should include more examinations to verify the diagnosis of CHD. Based on the first screening findings (increased nuchal translucency thickness and ductus venosus pulsatility index) patients should be referred to an expert for the second screening. If necessary, to verify the diagnosis of CHD ultrasonography and MRI can be combined during the third screening (34-36 weeks) in order to plan postnatal management of the newborn. The proposed algorithm for fetal CHD diagnosis enables to minimize the likelihood of error and maintain continuity of care between obstetricians-gynecologists, ultrasonographers, radiologists, neonatologists, and cardiologists.