Prenatal and postnatal echocardiography in NT fetuses with normal karyotype

Introduction: Targeted fetus echocardiography at midpregnancy can detect major defects in major cardiovascular organs. The present study aimed to evaluate prenatal and postnatal echocardiography in fetuses with increased nuchal translucency (NT) with normal karyotype. Methods: In this retrospective study, data on the screening of fetuses in pregnant women between 2014 and 2015 were evaluated. The fetuses at the gestational age were 14-11 weeks, and NT ≥ 95 percentile (or 3 mm). For all fetuses with increased NT, follow-up anomaly scan was performed at 18-22 weeks of pregnancy, while fetal echocardiography was performed at weeks 16-19 of pregnancy. The results were analyzed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (version 22) and the level of significance was less than 0.05. Results: A total of 26.27% of the fetuses were diagnosed with prenatal heart defects and confirmed after birth. The strongest relationship was observed between increased NT and the diagnosis of prenatal heart defects at 2.5-5.3 mm. The increased NT was higher in younger mothers. Moreover, increased NT was higher in mothers with less body mass index. Conclusion: By measuring NT in the 11-13 weeks of pregnancy and considering the risk factors, it is possible to evaluate the probability of cardiac abnormalities in the fetus and perform the necessary diagnostic evaluations for high-risk cases.