Dopplar US Shows Embryonic Heart Failure

The results were presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago (IL, USA).

Endovaginal Doppler ultrasound imaging was performed on 1,530 pregnant women to evaluate heart function early in the first trimester by Jason C. Birnholz, M.D., president of Diagnostic Ultrasound Consultants (Oak Brook, IL, USA). Dr. Birnholz was able, for the first time, to identify congestive heart failure in embryos. The condition is characterized by increased free amniotic fluid and evidence of depressed myocardial contractility.

"Over 99% of pregnancies with an abnormal Doppler pattern do not continue,” said Dr. Birnholz. "The chances the pregnancy will continue are very high, about 95%, when Doppler ultrasound confirms normal embryonic heart function at six weeks.”

Dr. Birnholz found that congestive heart failure can be implicated in 40% of miscarriages. He noted that the Doppler technology provides higher sensitivity and higher specificity than conventional ultrasound and may eventually allow for early intervention. Prospective treatment, he speculated, might be as simple as providing supplemental oxygen to an expectant mother during the critical time of development.