The fetal heart

home | contact

fetal heart cases

test your skills

ISUOG 2009 Fetal Echocardiography Pre-congress Course

• Interactive session

• Quiz session

ISUOG Fetal Echocardiography Pre-congress Course
Interactive session
12 September 2009

The 4 abnormalities presented here correspond to those discussed during the interactive session (anatomy-ultrasound) presented at the ‘Fetal echocardiography pre-congress course’, World Congress of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hamburg, 12 September 2009.

Here you will have the opportunity to play and review each ultrasound image.

Tricuspid atresia
The following 2 clips show an example of tricuspid atresia obtained from the same fetus (head down).

This clip highlights the area of the ‘absent right atrioventricular connection’ which is shown by a bright echodense tissue between the right atrium and the ventricular mass.	This clip shows a transverse sweep from the 4-chamber view towards the vessels. The two vessels have a normal cross-over. The larger ventricle (main chamber, to the left) gives rise to the aorta whereas the smaller ventricle (rudimentary, to the right) gives rise to the pulmonary artery. Note the presence of a ventricular septal defect.
Double inlet ventricle
The following 2 clips show an example of double inlet ventricle with 2 atrioventricular valves.

This 4-chamber view shows the 2 valves opening into the same ventricle. There is asymmetry in size between the 2 atria (right atrium is bigger), due to atrioventricular regurgitation, seen on colour flow mapping.	This is a short axis view through the ventricular mass at the level of the two atrioventricular valves. Note there is no septum separating the 2 valves.
Double outlet right ventricle
Transverse sweep from the 4-chamber view towards the vessels in a case with double outlet right ventricle (head down).

The aorta arises entirely from the right ventricle and is the first vessel to be imaged. Note the ventricular septal defect, best seen when the aorta is imaged. The pulmonary artery arises more anteriorly and is the smaller of the 2 vessels, due to a degree of pulmonary obstruction.
Truncus arteriosus
The following 2 clips are examples of truncus arteriosus.

Note the presence of a large vessel that overrides a ventricular septal defect. This vessel gives rise to the two branch pulmonary arteries as well as the aorta. Note a right-sided aortic arch.	This clip shows the ‘arterial trunk’ or ‘truncus arteriosus’ in a parasagittal plane. It depicts the trunk overriding a large ventricular septal.