scholarly journals Applicability and technical aspects of two-dimensional ultrasonography for assessment of fetal heart function

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Jeanne Bravo-valenzuela ◽  
Alberto Borges Peixoto ◽  
Luciano Marcondes Nardozza ◽  
Alex Sandro Souza ◽  
Edward Araujo Júnior
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Function ◽  
Fetal Heart ◽  
Heart Function ◽  
Fetal Echocardiography ◽  
Myocardial Dysfunction ◽  
Heart Defects ◽  
Systemic Disease ◽  
Volume Overload ◽  
Fetal Cardiac Function ◽  
Echocardiographic Parameters

In recent years, fetal echocardiography has been used for the screening and diagnosis of anatomical heart defects and for the detailed study of fetal cardiac function. This method is characterized by its easy implementation and good reproducibility, allowing the diagnosis of myocardial dysfunction even in its subclinical phase. The functional assessment of the fetal heart should be routinely performed in fetuses with congenital heart disease and those without anatomical malformation. Several extra-cardiac conditions may alter fetal cardiac function, by increased placental resistance, volume overload or hyperdynamic circulation, compression, or maternal systemic disease with involvement of the fetal myocardium. This review addresses the main ultrasound techniques and various Doppler echocardiographic parameters available for the analysis of fetal heart function, and correlates them with clinical applicability. Various parameters available for the assessment of fetal myocardium, including those that evaluate atrial dynamics, can be used in this analysis and should be selected considering specific conditions.

scholarly journals Spectral Doppler, tissue Doppler, and speckle-tracking echocardiography for the evaluation of fetal cardiac function: an update

2021 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-106
Author(s):  
Alberto Borges Peixoto ◽  
Nathalie Jeanne Bravo-Valenzuela ◽  
Luciane Alves Rocha ◽  
Edward Araujo Júnior
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Function ◽  
Fetal Heart ◽  
Heart Diseases ◽  
Tissue Doppler ◽  
Valvular Regurgitation ◽  
Ultrasound Screening ◽  
Fetal Cardiac Function ◽  
Structural Heart Diseases ◽  
Echocardiographic Parameters ◽  
Fetal Heart Failure

Abstract The functional assessment of the fetal heart has been incorporated into cardiac ultrasound screening as a routine procedure, encompassing fetuses with and without structural heart diseases. It has long been known that various cardiac and extracardiac conditions, such as fetal growth restriction, fetal tumors, twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, fetal anemia, diaphragmatic hernia, arteriovenous fistula with high cardiac output, and congenital heart diseases (valvular regurgitation and primary myocardial disease), can alter hemodynamic status and fetal cardiac function. Several ultrasound and Doppler echocardiographic parameters of fetal cardiovascular disease have been shown to correlate with perinatal mortality. However, it is still difficult to identify the signs of fetal heart failure and to determine their relationship with prognosis. The aim of this study was to review the main two-dimensional Doppler ultrasound parameters that can be used in the evaluation of fetal cardiac function, with a focus on how to perform that evaluation and on its clinical applicability.

Ultrasound examination of pregnant women in diagnosing fetal cardiac pathology

2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 43-50
Author(s):  
Viktoria A. Lim
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Fetal Heart ◽  
Fetal Echocardiography ◽  
Heart Defects ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Ultrasound Screening ◽  
Atrioventricular Canal ◽  
Cardiac Pathology ◽  
Organ Systems ◽  
Atrioventricular Canal Defect

Hypothesis/aims of study. Fetal heart defects are the most common malformations causing infant mortality. The task of the obstetric care service is to make a timely diagnosis, which includes high-quality ultrasound screening and, if necessary, fetal echocardiography. This study aimed to compare fetal echocardiography with postpartum echocardiography. Study design, materials and methods. 101 pregnant women with both isolated fetal heart defects and combined pathology were examined for the period 20172019. Results. The greatest number of heart defects was detected at 2331 weeks of gestation. The structure of the malformations is diverse, the most common one being a complete form of the atrioventricular canal defect. In multiple pregnancies, complex heart defects were often combined with abnormalities in other organ systems. Conclusion. It is recommended to describe the heart structure in detail from 2122 weeks of pregnancy. If cardiac pathology is detected in utero, it is mandatory to conduct an examination of other fetal organs.

Cardiac function in spontaneously hypertensive diabetic rats

1986 ◽  
Vol 251 (3) ◽  
pp. H571-H580 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Rodrigues ◽  
J. H. McNeill
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Function ◽  
Heart Function ◽  
Myocardial Dysfunction ◽  
Diabetic Rats ◽  
Left Ventricular ◽  
Spontaneously Hypertensive ◽  
Wistar Kyoto ◽  
Developed Pressure ◽  
Working Heart ◽  
Diabetes Induction

The isolated perfused working heart was used to study hypertensive diabetes-induced alterations in cardiac function at 6 and 12 wk after diabetes was induced. At 6 wk after diabetes induction, cardiac performance was depressed in the diabetic animals. However, there was no difference in cardiac function between normotensive Wistar and spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) diabetic rats. Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were also included as normotensive controls in our 12-wk study. Hearts from 12-wk SHR and Wistar diabetic animals exhibited a depressed left ventricular developed pressure and positive and negative dP/dt when compared with control animals. However, this depression was not seen in the WKY diabetic animals. In addition, quantitation of various parameters of heart function revealed highly significant differences between SHR diabetic animals and all other groups associated with an increased mortality. Serum lipids were elevated in SHR and Wistar and were unaffected in WKY diabetic rats. Furthermore, thyroid hormone levels were not depressed in WKY diabetic rats as seen in the other two diabetic groups. This normal lipid metabolism and thyroid status could, in part, explain the lack of cardiac dysfunction in these animals. The data provide further evidence that the combination of hypertension and diabetes mellitus produces greater myocardial dysfunction than with either disease alone and is associated with a significant mortality.

Quantifying Function in the Early Embryonic Heart

2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brennan M. Johnson ◽  
Deborah M. Garrity ◽  
Lakshmi Prasad Dasi
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Function ◽  
Heart Development ◽  
Heart Function ◽  
Control Volume ◽  
Heart Defects ◽  
Zebrafish Model ◽  
Cardiac Morphogenesis ◽  
Luminal Diameter ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
Bright Field Microscopy

Congenital heart defects arise during the early stages of development, and studies have linked abnormal blood flow and irregular cardiac function to improper cardiac morphogenesis. The embryonic zebrafish offers superb optical access for live imaging of heart development. Here, we build upon previously used techniques to develop a methodology for quantifying cardiac function in the embryonic zebrafish model. Imaging was performed using bright field microscopy at 1500 frames/s at 0.76 μm/pixel. Heart function was manipulated in a wild-type zebrafish at ∼55 h post fertilization (hpf). Blood velocity and luminal diameter were measured at the atrial inlet and atrioventricular junction (AVJ) by analyzing spatiotemporal plots. Control volume analysis was used to estimate the flow rate waveform, retrograde fractions, stroke volume, and cardiac output. The diameter and flow waveforms at the inlet and AVJ are highly repeatable between heart beats. We have developed a methodology for quantifying overall heart function, which can be applied to early stages of zebrafish development.

Anti-Apoptotic Effect of Magnolol in Myocardial Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury Requires Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase1/2 Pathways in Rat In Vivo

2008 ◽  
Vol 233 (10) ◽  
pp. 1280-1288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Chun Jin ◽  
Kil Jung Kim ◽  
Young Min Kim ◽  
Yu Mi Ha ◽  
Hye Jung Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Function ◽  
Infarct Size ◽  
Function Analysis ◽  
Heart Function ◽  
Myocardial Dysfunction ◽  
Systolic Pressure ◽  
Left Ventricular ◽  
Ischemia And Reperfusion ◽  
Myocardial Ischemia And Reperfusion

Magnolol, an active component extracted from Magnolia officinalis, has been reported to have protective effect on ischemia and reperfusion (I/R)-induced injury in experimental animals. The aim of the present investigation was to further evaluate the mechanism(s) by which magnolol reduces I/R-induced myocardial injury in rats in vivo. Under anesthesia, left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery was occluded for 30 min followed by reperfusion for 24 h (for infarct size and cardiac function analysis). In some experiments, reperfusion was limited to 1 h or 6 h for analysis of biochemical and molecular events. Magnolol and DMSO solution (vehicle) were injected intra-peritoneally 1 h prior to I/R insult. The infarct size was measured by TTC technique and heart function was monitored by Millar Catheter. Apoptosis related events such as p-ERK, p-Bad, Bcl-xl and cytochrome c expression were evaluated by Western blot analysis and myocardial caspase-3 activity was also measured. Magnolol (10 mg/kg) reduced infarct size by 50% ( P < 0.01 versus vehicle), and also improved I/R-induced myocardial dysfunction. Left ventricular systolic pressure and positive and negative maximal values of the first derivative of left ventricular pressure (dP/dt) were significantly improved in magnolol-treated rats. Magnolol increased the expression of phosphor ERK and Bad which resulted in inhibition of myocardial apoptosis as evidenced by TUNEL analysis and DNA laddering experiments. Application of PD 98059, a selective MEK1/2 inhibitor, strongly antagonized the effect of magnolol. Taken together, we concluded that magnolol inhibits apoptosis through enhancing the activation of ERK1/2 and modulation of the Bcl-xl proteins which brings about reduction of infarct size and improvement of cardiac function in I/R-induced injury.

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