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Sample records for continuous fetal heart

  1. Intrapartum fetal heart rate profiles with and without fetal asphyxia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Low, J A; Pancham, S R; Worthington, D N

    1977-04-01

    Fetal heart rate profiles for periods up to 12 hours prior to delivery have been reviewed in 515 patients with a fetus at risk. Mechanisms other than fetal asphyxia will cause fetal heart rate decelerations, and fetal asphyxia may in some instances develop in the absence of total or late decelerations. However, an increasing incidence of total decelerations and late decelerations and particularly a marked pattern of total decelerations and late decelerations are of value in the prediction of fetal asphyxia. Fetal heart rate deceleration patterns can predict the probability of fetal asphyxia at the time of initial intervention, while a progression of fetal heart rate deceleration patterns in the individual fetus can be of assistance in the subsequent scheduling of serial acid-base assessments during labor.

  2. Fetal Echocardiography/Your Unborn Baby's Heart

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Artery Disease Venous Thromboembolism Aortic Aneurysm More Fetal Echocardiography / Your Unborn Baby's Heart Updated:Oct 6,2016 ... Your Risk • Symptoms & Diagnosis Introduction Common Tests Fetal Echocardiography/Your Unborn Baby's Heart - Fetal Echocardiogram Test - Detection ...

  3. [Significance of amnioinfusion and amniotic fluid exchange under continuous internal fetal heart rate monitoring for management of fetal distress during labor].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, S; Ai, L; Zhang, H

    2000-01-01

    To discuss the significance of amnioinfusion and amniotic fluid exchange under continuous internal fetal heart rate (FHR) monitoring for management of fetal distress during labor. 136 cases with frequent variable deceleration (VD) and meconium stained amniotic fluid during labor were divided into two groups: the study group (68 cases) and the control group (68 cases). The former were treated by amnioinfusion and amniotic fluid exchange, while oxygen inhalation, change of body position, and intravenous infusion for the control group. In the study group, VD disappeared or relieved in 62 cases obviously, and the efficacy rate reached 91.2% (62/68). 48 cases with II degree meconium stained amniotic fluid were treated by amniotic fluid exchange, amniotic fluid became clear or turned to I degree stained in 39 cases. In the control group, VD relieved in 20 cases, the efficacy rate was 19.4%, significantly lower than that of the study group (P 0.05). Amnioinfusion and AF exchange during labor are one of the effective treatment methods for fetal distress and prevention for MAS.

  4. Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring during Labor

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... What are the types of monitoring? • How is auscultation performed? • How is electronic fetal monitoring performed? • How ... methods of fetal heart rate monitoring in labor. Auscultation is a method of periodically listening to the ...

  5. Myocardial bridges of the coronary arteries in the human fetal heart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cakmak, Yusuf Ozgür; Cavdar, Safiye; Yalin, Aymelek; Yener, Nuran; Ozdogmus, Omer

    2010-09-01

    During the last century, many investigators reported on myocardial bridges in the adult human heart. In the present study, 39 human fetal hearts (the mean gestastional age was 30 weeks) were studied for myocardial bridging, and the results were correlated with adult data. Among the 39 (27 male and 12 female) fetal hearts studied, 26 bridges were observed on 18 fetal hearts (46.2%). Ten of the bridges had one myocardial bridge, whereas double myocardial bridges were observed in eight fetal hearts. The most frequent myocardial bridges were observed on the left anterior descending artery (LAD), which had 13 bridges (50%). Eight (30.7%) myocardial bridges were on the diagonal artery, and on the posterior descending artery there were five (19.3%). Myocardial bridges were not observed on the circumflex artery. The data presented in this study may provide potentially useful information for the preoperative evaluation of the newborn and may have a clinical implication for sudden fetal death.

  6. Do high fetal catecholamine levels affect heart rate variability and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Objectives. To deternrine the relationship between Umbilical arterial catecholamine levels and fetal heart rate variability and meconium passage. Study design. A prospective descriptive study was perfonned. Umbilical artery catecholamine levels were measured in 55 newborns and correlated with fetal heart rate before ...

  7. Quantification of fetal heart rate regularity using symbolic dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Leeuwen, P.; Cysarz, D.; Lange, S.; Geue, D.; Groenemeyer, D.

    2007-03-01

    Fetal heart rate complexity was examined on the basis of RR interval time series obtained in the second and third trimester of pregnancy. In each fetal RR interval time series, short term beat-to-beat heart rate changes were coded in 8bit binary sequences. Redundancies of the 28 different binary patterns were reduced by two different procedures. The complexity of these sequences was quantified using the approximate entropy (ApEn), resulting in discrete ApEn values which were used for classifying the sequences into 17 pattern sets. Also, the sequences were grouped into 20 pattern classes with respect to identity after rotation or inversion of the binary value. There was a specific, nonuniform distribution of the sequences in the pattern sets and this differed from the distribution found in surrogate data. In the course of gestation, the number of sequences increased in seven pattern sets, decreased in four and remained unchanged in six. Sequences that occurred less often over time, both regular and irregular, were characterized by patterns reflecting frequent beat-to-beat reversals in heart rate. They were also predominant in the surrogate data, suggesting that these patterns are associated with stochastic heart beat trains. Sequences that occurred more frequently over time were relatively rare in the surrogate data. Some of these sequences had a high degree of regularity and corresponded to prolonged heart rate accelerations or decelerations which may be associated with directed fetal activity or movement or baroreflex activity. Application of the pattern classes revealed that those sequences with a high degree of irregularity correspond to heart rate patterns resulting from complex physiological activity such as fetal breathing movements. The results suggest that the development of the autonomic nervous system and the emergence of fetal behavioral states lead to increases in not only irregular but also regular heart rate patterns. Using symbolic dynamics to

  8. Small-volume amnioinfusion: a potential stimulus of intrapartum fetal heart rate accelerations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wax, Joseph R; Flaherty, Nina; Pinette, Michael G; Blackstone, Jacquelyn; Cartin, Angelina

    2004-02-01

    We describe a recurrent nonreassuring fetal heart rate pattern in which small-volume amnioinfusions apparently evoked fetal heart rate accelerations suggested fetal well-being, allowing that progressive labor that culminated in the vaginal delivery of a healthy infant.

  9. Self-gating MR imaging of the fetal heart: comparison with real cardiac triggering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamamura, Jin; Frisch, Michael; Ecker, Hannes; Adam, Gerhard; Wedegaertner, Ulrike; Graessner, Joachim; Hecher, Kurt

    2011-01-01

    To investigate the self-gating technique for MR imaging of the fetal heart in a sheep model. MR images of 6 fetal sheep heart were obtained at 1.5T. For self-gating MRI of the fetal heart a cine SSFP in short axis, two and four chamber view was used. Self-gated images were compared with real cardiac triggered MR images (pulse-wave triggering). MRI of the fetal heart was performed using both techniques simultaneously. Image quality was assessed and the left ventricular volume and function were measured and compared. Compared with pulse-wave triggering, the self-gating technique produced slightly inferior images with artifacts. Especially the atrial septum could not be so clearly depicted. The contraction of the fetal heart was shown in cine sequences in both techniques. The average blood volumes could be measured with both techniques with no significant difference: at end-systole 3.1 ml (SD± 0.2), at end-diastole 4.9 ml (±0.2), with ejection fractions at 38.6%, respectively 39%. Both self-gating and pulse-wave triggered cardiac MRI of the fetal heart allowed the evaluation of anatomical structures and functional information. Images obtained by self-gating technique were slightly inferior than the pulse-wave triggered MRI. (orig.)

  10. PPAR ligands improve impaired metabolic pathways in fetal hearts of diabetic rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurtz, Melisa; Capobianco, Evangelina; Martinez, Nora; Roberti, Sabrina Lorena; Arany, Edith; Jawerbaum, Alicia

    2014-10-01

    In maternal diabetes, the fetal heart can be structurally and functionally affected. Maternal diets enriched in certain unsaturated fatty acids can activate the nuclear receptors peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) and regulate metabolic and anti-inflammatory pathways during development. Our aim was to investigate whether PPARα expression, lipid metabolism, lipoperoxidation, and nitric oxide (NO) production are altered in the fetal hearts of diabetic rats, and to analyze the putative effects of in vivo PPAR activation on these parameters. We found decreased PPARα expression in the hearts of male but not female fetuses of diabetic rats when compared with controls. Fetal treatments with the PPARα ligand leukotriene B4 upregulated the expression of PPARα and target genes involved in fatty acid oxidation in the fetal hearts. Increased concentrations of triglycerides, cholesterol, and phospholipids were found in the hearts of fetuses of diabetic rats. Maternal treatments with diets supplemented with 6% olive oil or 6% safflower oil, enriched in unsaturated fatty acids that can activate PPARs, led to few changes in lipid concentrations, but up-regulated PPARα expression in fetal hearts. NO production, which was increased in the hearts of male and female fetuses in the diabetic group, and lipoperoxidation, which was increased in the hearts of male fetuses in the diabetic group, was reduced by the maternal treatments supplemented with safflower oil. In conclusion, impaired PPARα expression, altered lipid metabolism, and increased oxidative and nitridergic pathways were evidenced in hearts of fetuses of diabetic rats and were regulated in a gender-dependent manner by treatments enriched with PPAR ligands. © 2014 Society for Endocrinology.

  11. Fetal Intelligent Navigation Echocardiography (FINE): a novel method for rapid, simple, and automatic examination of the fetal heart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeo, Lami; Romero, Roberto

    2013-09-01

    To describe a novel method (Fetal Intelligent Navigation Echocardiography (FINE)) for visualization of standard fetal echocardiography views from volume datasets obtained with spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) and application of 'intelligent navigation' technology. We developed a method to: 1) demonstrate nine cardiac diagnostic planes; and 2) spontaneously navigate the anatomy surrounding each of the nine cardiac diagnostic planes (Virtual Intelligent Sonographer Assistance (VIS-Assistance®)). The method consists of marking seven anatomical structures of the fetal heart. The following echocardiography views are then automatically generated: 1) four chamber; 2) five chamber; 3) left ventricular outflow tract; 4) short-axis view of great vessels/right ventricular outflow tract; 5) three vessels and trachea; 6) abdomen/stomach; 7) ductal arch; 8) aortic arch; and 9) superior and inferior vena cava. The FINE method was tested in a separate set of 50 STIC volumes of normal hearts (18.6-37.2 weeks of gestation), and visualization rates for fetal echocardiography views using diagnostic planes and/or VIS-Assistance® were calculated. To examine the feasibility of identifying abnormal cardiac anatomy, we tested the method in four cases with proven congenital heart defects (coarctation of aorta, tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of great vessels and pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum). In normal cases, the FINE method was able to generate nine fetal echocardiography views using: 1) diagnostic planes in 78-100% of cases; 2) VIS-Assistance® in 98-100% of cases; and 3) a combination of diagnostic planes and/or VIS-Assistance® in 98-100% of cases. In all four abnormal cases, the FINE method demonstrated evidence of abnormal fetal cardiac anatomy. The FINE method can be used to visualize nine standard fetal echocardiography views in normal hearts by applying 'intelligent navigation' technology to STIC volume datasets. This method can simplify

  12. Anatomy of the normal fetal heart: The basis for understanding fetal echocardiography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beatriz Picazo-Angelin

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The rapid changes that have taken place in recent years in relation to techniques used to image the fetal heart have emphasized the need to have a detailed knowledge ofnormal cardiac anatomy. Without such knowledge, it is difficult, if not impossible, to recognize the multiple facets of congenital cardiac disease. From the inception of fetal echocardiographic screening, the importance of basic knowledge of cardiac anatomy has been well recognized. The current machines used for imaging, however, now make it possible potentially to recognize features not appreciated at the start of the specialty. So as to match the advances made in imaging, we have now revisited our understanding of normal cardiac anatomy in the mid-gestational fetus. This was made possible by our dissection of 10 fetal hearts, followed by production of addition histological sections that mimic the standard ultrasound views. The fetuses ranged in gestational age from between 20 and 28 weeks. We then correlated the obtained anatomic images with the corresponding ultrasonic images used in the standard fetal screening scan. We also interrogated the anatomic sections so as to clarify ongoing controversies regarding detailed features of the normal cardiac anatomy. We have been able to show that the views now obtained using current technology reveal many details of anatomy not always appreciated at earlier times. Knowledge of these features should now permit diagnosis of most congenital cardiac malformations. The anatomic-echocardiographic correlations additionally provide a valuable resource for both the understanding and teaching of fetal echocardiography.

  13. The role of abnormal fetal heart rate in scheduling chorionic villus sampling.

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    Yagel, S; Anteby, E; Ron, M; Hochner-Celnikier, D; Achiron, R

    1992-09-01

    To assess the value of fetal heart rate (FHR) measurements in predicting spontaneous fetal loss in pregnancies scheduled for chorionic villus sampling (CVS). A prospective descriptive study. Two hospital departments of obstetrics and gynaecology in Israel. 114 women between 9 and 11 weeks gestation scheduled for chorionic villus sampling (CVS). Fetal heart rate was measured by transvaginal Doppler ultrasound and compared with a monogram established from 75 fetuses. Whenever a normal FHR was recorded, CVS was performed immediately. 106 women had a normal FHR and underwent CVS; two of these pregnancies ended in miscarriage. In five pregnancies no fetal heart beats could be identified and fetal death was diagnosed. In three pregnancies an abnormal FHR was recorded and CVS was postponed; all three pregnancies ended in miscarriage within 2 weeks. Determination of FHR correlated with crown-rump length could be useful in predicting spontaneous miscarriage before performing any invasive procedure late in the first trimester.

  14. A Comparative Study on Fetal Heart Rates Estimated from Fetal Phonography and Cardiotocography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emad A. Ibrahim

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study is to investigate that fetal heart rates (fHR extracted from fetal phonocardiography (fPCG could convey similar information of fHR from cardiotocography (CTG. Four-channel fPCG sensors made of low cost (<$1 ceramic piezo vibration sensor within 3D-printed casings were used to collect abdominal phonogram signals from 20 pregnant mothers (>34 weeks of gestation. A novel multi-lag covariance matrix-based eigenvalue decomposition technique was used to separate maternal breathing, fetal heart sounds (fHS and maternal heart sounds (mHS from abdominal phonogram signals. Prior to the fHR estimation, the fPCG signals were denoised using a multi-resolution wavelet-based filter. The proposed source separation technique was first tested in separating sources from synthetically mixed signals and then on raw abdominal phonogram signals. fHR signals extracted from fPCG signals were validated using simultaneous recorded CTG-based fHR recordings.The experimental results have shown that the fHR derived from the acquired fPCG can be used to detect periods of acceleration and deceleration, which are critical indication of the fetus' well-being. Moreover, a comparative analysis demonstrated that fHRs from CTG and fPCG signals were in good agreement (Bland Altman plot has mean = −0.21 BPM and ±2 SD = ±3 with statistical significance (p < 0.001 and Spearman correlation coefficient ρ = 0.95. The study findings show that fHR estimated from fPCG could be a reliable substitute for fHR from the CTG, opening up the possibility of a low cost monitoring tool for fetal well-being.

  15. Quantifying the Interactions between Maternal and Fetal Heart Rates by Transfer Entropy.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Faezeh Marzbanrad

    Full Text Available Evidence of the short term relationship between maternal and fetal heart rates has been found in previous studies. However there is still limited knowledge about underlying mechanisms and patterns of the coupling throughout gestation. In this study, Transfer Entropy (TE was used to quantify directed interactions between maternal and fetal heart rates at various time delays and gestational ages. Experimental results using maternal and fetal electrocardiograms showed significant coupling for 63 out of 65 fetuses, by statistically validating against surrogate pairs. Analysis of TE showed a decrease in transfer of information from fetus to the mother with gestational age, alongside the maturation of the fetus. On the other hand, maternal to fetal TE was significantly greater in mid (26-31 weeks and late (32-41 weeks gestation compared to early (16-25 weeks gestation (Mann Whitney Wilcoxon (MWW p<0.05. TE further increased from mid to late, for the fetuses with RMSSD of fetal heart rate being larger than 4 msec in the late gestation. This difference was not observed for the fetuses with smaller RMSSD, which could be associated with the quiet sleep state. Delay in the information transfer from mother to fetus significantly decreased (p = 0.03 from mid to late gestation, implying a decrease in fetal response time. These changes occur concomitant with the maturation of the fetal sensory and autonomic nervous systems with advancing gestational age. The effect of maternal respiratory rate derived from maternal ECG was also investigated and no significant relationship was found between breathing rate and TE at any lag. In conclusion, the application of TE with delays revealed detailed information on the fetal-maternal heart rate coupling strength and latency throughout gestation, which could provide novel clinical markers of fetal development and well-being.

  16. Feasibility of MRI of the fetal heart with balanced steady-state free precession sequence along fetal body and cardiac planes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saleem, Sahar N

    2008-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of imaging the fetal heart with a balanced steady-state free precession MRI sequence along the body and cardiac axes after inadequate echocardiography. After technically inadequate echocardiography, MRI was performed on 20 fetuses (mean gestational age, 24 weeks; range, 18-32 weeks) at risk of congenital heart disease. MRI was attempted along the three fetal body planes (n = 20) and cardiac axes (n = 3) without fetal sedation. The images were analyzed with an anatomic segmental approach. Each feature was classified as well visualized or poorly or not visualized. In each group, the Student's t test was used to assess the relation between visibility of fetal cardiac features and gestational age. Imaging was possible along the fetal body and cardiac axes. In the axial plane, a balanced four-chamber view was obtained in all fetuses, enabling evaluation of heart position, axis, chambers, and interventricular septum. The left and right ventricular outflow tracts were well visualized in 12 (60%) and nine (45%) of the fetuses, respectively; the three-vessel view was obtained in 10 fetuses (50%). With the combination of sagittal and coronal views, both ventricular outflow tracts were assessed in all fetuses. The superior and inferior venae cavae were identified in all fetuses, and at least one pulmonary vein was visualized in 17 fetuses (85%). There were no statistically significant differences between gestational age and lack of visualization of a cardiac feature that was attributed to fetal motion. MRI of the fetal heart with a steady-state free precession sequence in multiple planes and image analysis with an anatomic segmental approach to congenital heart disease are possible in situations that limit echocardiography.

  17. Aerobic exercise during pregnancy and presence of fetal-maternal heart rate synchronization.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter Van Leeuwen

    Full Text Available It has been shown that short-term direct interaction between maternal and fetal heart rates may take place and that this interaction is affected by the rate of maternal respiration. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of maternal aerobic exercise during pregnancy on the occurrence of fetal-maternal heart rate synchronization.In 40 pregnant women at the 36th week of gestation, 21 of whom exercised regularly, we acquired 18 min. RR interval time series obtained simultaneously in the mothers and their fetuses from magnetocardiographic recordings. The time series of the two groups were examined with respect to their heart rate variability, the maternal respiratory rate and the presence of synchronization epochs as determined on the basis of synchrograms. Surrogate data were used to assess whether the occurrence of synchronization was due to chance.In the original data, we found synchronization occurred less often in pregnancies in which the mothers had exercised regularly. These subjects also displayed higher combined fetal-maternal heart rate variability and lower maternal respiratory rates. Analysis of the surrogate data showed shorter epochs of synchronization and a lack of the phase coordination found between maternal and fetal beat timing in the original data.The results suggest that fetal-maternal heart rate coupling is present but generally weak. Maternal exercise has a damping effect on its occurrence, most likely due to an increase in beat-to-beat differences, higher vagal tone and slower breathing rates.

  18. Aerobic exercise during pregnancy and presence of fetal-maternal heart rate synchronization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Leeuwen, Peter; Gustafson, Kathleen M; Cysarz, Dirk; Geue, Daniel; May, Linda E; Grönemeyer, Dietrich

    2014-01-01

    It has been shown that short-term direct interaction between maternal and fetal heart rates may take place and that this interaction is affected by the rate of maternal respiration. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of maternal aerobic exercise during pregnancy on the occurrence of fetal-maternal heart rate synchronization. In 40 pregnant women at the 36th week of gestation, 21 of whom exercised regularly, we acquired 18 min. RR interval time series obtained simultaneously in the mothers and their fetuses from magnetocardiographic recordings. The time series of the two groups were examined with respect to their heart rate variability, the maternal respiratory rate and the presence of synchronization epochs as determined on the basis of synchrograms. Surrogate data were used to assess whether the occurrence of synchronization was due to chance. In the original data, we found synchronization occurred less often in pregnancies in which the mothers had exercised regularly. These subjects also displayed higher combined fetal-maternal heart rate variability and lower maternal respiratory rates. Analysis of the surrogate data showed shorter epochs of synchronization and a lack of the phase coordination found between maternal and fetal beat timing in the original data. The results suggest that fetal-maternal heart rate coupling is present but generally weak. Maternal exercise has a damping effect on its occurrence, most likely due to an increase in beat-to-beat differences, higher vagal tone and slower breathing rates.

  19. Aerobic Exercise during Pregnancy and Presence of Fetal-Maternal Heart Rate Synchronization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Leeuwen, Peter; Gustafson, Kathleen M.; Cysarz, Dirk; Geue, Daniel; May, Linda E.; Grönemeyer, Dietrich

    2014-01-01

    It has been shown that short-term direct interaction between maternal and fetal heart rates may take place and that this interaction is affected by the rate of maternal respiration. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of maternal aerobic exercise during pregnancy on the occurrence of fetal-maternal heart rate synchronization. Methods In 40 pregnant women at the 36th week of gestation, 21 of whom exercised regularly, we acquired 18 min. RR interval time series obtained simultaneously in the mothers and their fetuses from magnetocardiographic recordings. The time series of the two groups were examined with respect to their heart rate variability, the maternal respiratory rate and the presence of synchronization epochs as determined on the basis of synchrograms. Surrogate data were used to assess whether the occurrence of synchronization was due to chance. Results In the original data, we found synchronization occurred less often in pregnancies in which the mothers had exercised regularly. These subjects also displayed higher combined fetal-maternal heart rate variability and lower maternal respiratory rates. Analysis of the surrogate data showed shorter epochs of synchronization and a lack of the phase coordination found between maternal and fetal beat timing in the original data. Conclusion The results suggest that fetal-maternal heart rate coupling is present but generally weak. Maternal exercise has a damping effect on its occurrence, most likely due to an increase in beat-to-beat differences, higher vagal tone and slower breathing rates. PMID:25162592

  20. Maternal bisphenol a exposure impacts the fetal heart transcriptome.

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    Kalyan C Chapalamadugu

    Full Text Available Conditions during fetal development influence health and disease in adulthood, especially during critical windows of organogenesis. Fetal exposure to the endocrine disrupting chemical, bisphenol A (BPA affects the development of multiple organ systems in rodents and monkeys. However, effects of BPA exposure on cardiac development have not been assessed. With evidence that maternal BPA is transplacentally delivered to the developing fetus, it becomes imperative to examine the physiological consequences of gestational exposure during primate development. Herein, we evaluate the effects of daily, oral BPA exposure of pregnant rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta on the fetal heart transcriptome. Pregnant monkeys were given daily oral doses (400 µg/kg body weight of BPA during early (50-100 ± 2 days post conception, dpc or late (100 ± 2 dpc--term, gestation. At the end of treatment, fetal heart tissues were collected and chamber specific transcriptome expression was assessed using genome-wide microarray. Quantitative real-time PCR was conducted on select genes and ventricular tissue glycogen content was quantified. Our results show that BPA exposure alters transcription of genes that are recognized for their role in cardiac pathophysiologies. Importantly, myosin heavy chain, cardiac isoform alpha (Myh6 was down-regulated in the left ventricle, and 'A Disintegrin and Metalloprotease 12', long isoform (Adam12-l was up-regulated in both ventricles, and the right atrium of the heart in BPA exposed fetuses. BPA induced alteration of these genes supports the hypothesis that exposure to BPA during fetal development may impact cardiovascular fitness. Our results intensify concerns about the role of BPA in the genesis of human metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.

  1. [Estimation of the atrioventricular time interval by pulse Doppler in the normal fetal heart].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamela-Olkowska, Anita; Dangel, Joanna

    2009-08-01

    To assess normative values of the fetal atrioventricular (AV) time interval by pulse-wave Doppler methods on 5-chamber view. Fetal echocardiography exams were performed using Acuson Sequoia 512 in 140 singleton fetuses at 18 to 40 weeks of gestation with sinus rhythm and normal cardiac and extracardiac anatomy. Pulsed Doppler derived AV intervals were measured from left ventricular inflow/outflow view using transabdominal convex 3.5-6 MHz probe. The values of AV time interval ranged from 100 to 150 ms (mean 123 +/- 11.2). The AV interval was negatively correlated with the heart rhythm (page of gestation (p=0.007). However, in the same subgroup of the fetal heart rate there was no relation between AV intervals and gestational age. Therefore, the AV intervals showed only the heart rate dependence. The 95th percentiles of AV intervals according to FHR ranged from 135 to 148 ms. 1. The AV interval duration was negatively correlated with the heart rhythm. 2. Measurement of AV time interval is easy to perform and has a good reproducibility. It may be used for the fetal heart block screening in anti-Ro and anti-La positive pregnancies. 3. Normative values established in the study may help obstetricians in assessing fetal abnormalities of the AV conduction.

  2. Intermittent Auscultation for Intrapartum Fetal Heart Rate Surveillance: American College of Nurse-Midwives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    Fetal heart rate surveillance is a standard component of intrapartum care. The fetal heart rate can be evaluated using intermittent auscultation or electronic fetal monitoring. Research that has compared these 2 strategies found them to be equivalent with respect to long-term neonatal outcomes. The purpose of this clinical bulletin by the American College of Nurse-Midwives is to review the evidence for use of intermittent auscultation and provide recommendations for intermittent auscultation technique, interpretation, and documentation. © 2015 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

  3. Evolving changes in fetal heart rate variability and brain injury after hypoxia-ischaemia in preterm fetal sheep.

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    Yamaguchi, Kyohei; Lear, Christopher A; Beacom, Michael J; Ikeda, Tomoaki; Gunn, Alistair J; Bennet, Laura

    2018-01-08

    Fetal heart rate variability is a critical index of fetal wellbeing. Suppression of heart rate variability may provide prognostic information on the risk of hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury after birth. In the present study, we report the evolution of fetal heart rate variability after both mild and severe hypoxia-ischaemia. Both mild and severe hypoxia-ischaemia were associated with an initial, brief suppression of multiple measures of heart rate variability. This was followed by normal or increased levels of heart rate variability during the latent phase of injury. Severe hypoxia-ischaemia was subsequently associated with the prolonged suppression of measures of heart rate variability during the secondary phase of injury, which is the period of time when brain injury is no longer treatable. These findings suggest that a biphasic pattern of heart rate variability may be an early marker of brain injury when treatment or intervention is probably most effective. Hypoxia-ischaemia (HI) is a major contributor to preterm brain injury, although there are currently no reliable biomarkers for identifying infants who are at risk. We tested the hypothesis that fetal heart rate (FHR) and FHR variability (FHRV) would identify evolving brain injury after HI. Fetal sheep at 0.7 of gestation were subjected to either 15 (n = 10) or 25 min (n = 17) of complete umbilical cord occlusion or sham occlusion (n = 12). FHR and four measures of FHRV [short-term variation, long-term variation, standard deviation of normal to normal R-R intervals (SDNN), root mean square of successive differences) were assessed until 72 h after HI. All measures of FHRV were suppressed for the first 3-4 h in the 15 min group and 1-2 h in the 25 min group. Measures of FHRV recovered to control levels by 4 h in the 15 min group, whereas the 25 min group showed tachycardia and an increase in short-term variation and SDNN from 4 to 6 h after occlusion. The measures of FHRV then progressively

  4. Quantifying the Interactions between Maternal and Fetal Heart Rates by Transfer Entropy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marzbanrad, Faezeh; Kimura, Yoshitaka; Palaniswami, Marimuthu; Khandoker, Ahsan H.

    2015-01-01

    Evidence of the short term relationship between maternal and fetal heart rates has been found in previous studies. However there is still limited knowledge about underlying mechanisms and patterns of the coupling throughout gestation. In this study, Transfer Entropy (TE) was used to quantify directed interactions between maternal and fetal heart rates at various time delays and gestational ages. Experimental results using maternal and fetal electrocardiograms showed significant coupling for 63 out of 65 fetuses, by statistically validating against surrogate pairs. Analysis of TE showed a decrease in transfer of information from fetus to the mother with gestational age, alongside the maturation of the fetus. On the other hand, maternal to fetal TE was significantly greater in mid (26–31 weeks) and late (32–41 weeks) gestation compared to early (16–25 weeks) gestation (Mann Whitney Wilcoxon (MWW) pgestation. This difference was not observed for the fetuses with smaller RMSSD, which could be associated with the quiet sleep state. Delay in the information transfer from mother to fetus significantly decreased (p = 0.03) from mid to late gestation, implying a decrease in fetal response time. These changes occur concomitant with the maturation of the fetal sensory and autonomic nervous systems with advancing gestational age. The effect of maternal respiratory rate derived from maternal ECG was also investigated and no significant relationship was found between breathing rate and TE at any lag. In conclusion, the application of TE with delays revealed detailed information on the fetal-maternal heart rate coupling strength and latency throughout gestation, which could provide novel clinical markers of fetal development and well-being. PMID:26701122

  5. Deficient maternal zinc intake-but not folate-is associated with lower fetal heart rate variability.

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    Spann, Marisa N; Smerling, Jennifer; Gustafsson, Hanna; Foss, Sophie; Altemus, Margaret; Monk, Catherine

    2015-03-01

    Few studies of maternal prenatal diet and child development examine micronutrient status in relation to fetal assessment. Twenty-four-hour dietary recall of zinc and folate and 20min of fetal heart rate were collected from 3rd trimester pregnant adolescents. Deficient zinc was associated with less fetal heart rate variability. Deficient folate had no associations with HRV. Neither deficient zinc nor deficient folate was related to fetal heart rate. These findings, from naturalistic observation, are consistent with emerging data on prenatal zinc supplementation using a randomized control design. Taken together, the findings suggest that maternal prenatal zinc intake is an important and novel factor for understanding child ANS development. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

  6. Deficient maternal zinc intake—but not folate—is associated with lower fetal heart rate variability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spann, Marisa N.; Smerling, Jennifer; Gustafsson, Hanna; Foss, Sophie; Altemus, Margaret; Monk, Catherine

    2015-01-01

    Objective Few studies of maternal prenatal diet and child development examine micronutrient status in relation to fetal assessment. Methods Twenty-four-hour dietary recall of zinc and folate and 20min of fetal heart rate were collected from 3rd trimester pregnant adolescents. Results Deficient zinc was associated with less fetal heart rate variability. Deficient folate had no associations with HRV. Neither deficient zinc nor deficient folate was related to fetal heart rate. Conclusions These findings, from naturalistic observation, are consistent with emerging data on prenatal zinc supplementation using a randomized control design. Practical Implication Taken together, the findings suggest that maternal prenatal zinc intake is an important and novel factor for understanding child ANS development. PMID:25658874

  7. Fetal QRS detection and heart rate estimation: a wavelet-based approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Almeida, Rute; Rocha, Ana Paula; Gonçalves, Hernâni; Bernardes, João

    2014-01-01

    Fetal heart rate monitoring is used for pregnancy surveillance in obstetric units all over the world but in spite of recent advances in analysis methods, there are still inherent technical limitations that bound its contribution to the improvement of perinatal indicators. In this work, a previously published wavelet transform based QRS detector, validated over standard electrocardiogram (ECG) databases, is adapted to fetal QRS detection over abdominal fetal ECG. Maternal ECG waves were first located using the original detector and afterwards a version with parameters adapted for fetal physiology was applied to detect fetal QRS, excluding signal singularities associated with maternal heartbeats. Single lead (SL) based marks were combined in a single annotator with post processing rules (SLR) from which fetal RR and fetal heart rate (FHR) measures can be computed. Data from PhysioNet with reference fetal QRS locations was considered for validation, with SLR outperforming SL including ICA based detections. The error in estimated FHR using SLR was lower than 20 bpm for more than 80% of the processed files. The median error in 1 min based FHR estimation was 0.13 bpm, with a correlation between reference and estimated FHR of 0.48, which increased to 0.73 when considering only records for which estimated FHR > 110 bpm. This allows us to conclude that the proposed methodology is able to provide a clinically useful estimation of the FHR. (paper)

  8. Consistent reconstruction of 4D fetal heart ultrasound images to cope with fetal motion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanner, Christine; Flach, Barbara; Eggenberger, Céline; Mattausch, Oliver; Bajka, Michael; Goksel, Orcun

    2017-08-01

    4D ultrasound imaging of the fetal heart relies on reconstructions from B-mode images. In the presence of fetal motion, current approaches suffer from artifacts, which are unrecoverable for single sweeps. We propose to use many sweeps and exploit the resulting redundancy to automatically recover from motion by reconstructing a 4D image which is consistent in phase, space, and time. An interactive visualization framework to view animated ultrasound slices from 4D reconstructions on arbitrary planes was developed using a magnetically tracked mock probe. We first quantified the performance of 10 4D reconstruction formulations on simulated data. Reconstructions of 14 in vivo sequences by a baseline, the current state-of-the-art, and the proposed approach were then visually ranked with respect to temporal quality on orthogonal views. Rankings from 5 observers showed that the proposed 4D reconstruction approach significantly improves temporal image quality in comparison with the baseline. The 4D reconstructions of the baseline and the proposed methods were then inspected interactively for accessibility to clinically important views and rated for their clinical usefulness by an ultrasound specialist in obstetrics and gynecology. The reconstructions by the proposed method were rated as 'very useful' in 71% and were statistically significantly more useful than the baseline reconstructions. Multi-sweep fetal heart ultrasound acquisitions in combination with consistent 4D image reconstruction improves quality as well as clinical usefulness of the resulting 4D images in the presence of fetal motion.

  9. Fetal heart rate patterns at 20 to 24 weeks gestation as recorded by fetal electrocardiography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hofmeyr, F; Groenewald, CA; Nel, DG; Myers, MM; Fifer, WP; Signore, C; Hankins, GDV; Odendaal, HJ

    2014-01-01

    Introduction With advancing technology it has become possible to accurately record and assess fetal heart rate (FHR) patterns from gestations as early as 20 weeks. The aim of our study was to describe early patterns of FHR, as recorded by transabdominal fetal electrocardiogram according to the Dawes-Redman criteria. Accordingly, short-term variability, basal heart rate, accelerations and decelerations were quantified at 20-24 weeks gestation among women with uncomplicated pregnancies. Methods This study was conducted in a subset of participants enrolled in a large prospective pregnancy cohort study. Our final data set consisted of 281 recordings of women with good perinatal outcomes that had undergone fetal electrocardiographic assessment as part of the Safe Passage Study. Results The success rate of the recordings was 95.4%. The mean frequency of small and large accelerations was 0.5 and 0.1 per 10 minutes respectively and that of small and large decelerations 0.3 and 0.008 per 10 minutes respectively. The mean and basal heart rates were both equal to 148.0 bpm at a median gestation of 161 days. The mean short term variation was 6.2 (SD 1.4) milliseconds and mean minute range 35.1 (SD 7.1) milliseconds. Conclusion The 20 to 24 week fetus demonstrates FHR patterns with more accelerations and decelerations, as well as higher baseline variability than was anticipated. Information from this study provides an important foundation for further, more detailed, studies of early FHR patterns. PMID:23991757

  10. Analysis of maternal-fetal outcomes of valvular heart surgeries in

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alireza Yaghoubi

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Valvular heart surgery (VHS in pregnancy has its specific complexity and problems.Between years 1983-2007 11 women who underwent VHS during pregnancy were found and analyzed. Valvular heart surgery in pregnancy is associated with the least maternal-fetal side effects. Intensive evaluations before and during pregnancy with a specialized medical team is essential

  11. Eleven fetal echocardiographic planes using 4-dimensional ultrasound with spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC): a logical approach to fetal heart volume analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jantarasaengaram, Surasak; Vairojanavong, Kittipong

    2010-09-15

    Theoretically, a cross-sectional image of any cardiac planes can be obtained from a STIC fetal heart volume dataset. We described a method to display 11 fetal echocardiographic planes from STIC volumes. Fetal heart volume datasets were acquired by transverse acquisition from 200 normal fetuses at 15 to 40 weeks of gestation. Analysis of the volume datasets using the described technique to display 11 echocardiographic planes in the multiplanar display mode were performed offline. Volume datasets from 18 fetuses were excluded due to poor image resolution. The mean visualization rates for all echocardiographic planes at 15-17, 18-22, 23-27, 28-32 and 33-40 weeks of gestation fetuses were 85.6% (range 45.2-96.8%, N = 31), 92.9% (range 64.0-100%, N = 64), 93.4% (range 51.4-100%, N = 37), 88.7%(range 54.5-100%, N = 33) and 81.8% (range 23.5-100%, N = 17) respectively. Overall, the applied technique can favorably display the pertinent echocardiographic planes. Description of the presented method provides a logical approach to explore the fetal heart volumes.

  12. Investigation of the interaction of radiation and cardiotoxic anticancer agents using a fetal mouse heart organ culture system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kimler, B.F.; Rethorst, R.D.; Cox, G.G.

    1985-01-01

    The fetal mouse heart organ culture was utilized in an attempt to predict the cardiotoxic effects of combinations of radiation, Adriamycin (ADR), and Dihydroxyanthraquinone (DHAQ), antineoplastic agents which have been shown to produce clinical cardiomyopathy. Seventeen-day fetal hearts were removed and placed in a culture system of micro-titer plates. A single heart was placed in each well on a piece of aluminum mesh to keep the heart above the culture medium but bathed by capillary action. The plates were then placed in a 100% oxygen environment at 37 0 C. Treatments were performed on day 1 after culture: radiation doses (Cs-137) of 10, 20, or 40 Gy; drug treatment with 10, 30, or 100 μg/ml of ADR; 5, 20, or 50 μg/ml of DHAQ; and combinations and sequences of drug and radiation. Hearts were checked every day for functional activity as evidenced by a continuous heart beat. Untreated hearts beat rhythmically for up to 9 days; treated hearts stopped beating earlier. Using an endpoint of functional retention time, dose response curves were obtained for all individual agents and for combinations of agents. This system may help to predict the cardiotoxic effects that result from the use of these drugs and radiation. It may also aid in the development of new anthracycline chemotherapeutic agents that lack cardiotoxicity

  13. A genome resource to address mechanisms of developmental programming: determination of the fetal sheep heart transcriptome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cox, Laura A; Glenn, Jeremy P; Spradling, Kimberly D; Nijland, Mark J; Garcia, Roy; Nathanielsz, Peter W; Ford, Stephen P

    2012-06-15

    The pregnant sheep has provided seminal insights into reproduction related to animal and human development (ovarian function, fertility, implantation, fetal growth, parturition and lactation). Fetal sheep physiology has been extensively studied since 1950, contributing significantly to the basis for our understanding of many aspects of fetal development and behaviour that remain in use in clinical practice today. Understanding mechanisms requires the combination of systems approaches uniquely available in fetal sheep with the power of genomic studies. Absence of the full range of sheep genomic resources has limited the full realization of the power of this model, impeding progress in emerging areas of pregnancy biology such as developmental programming. We have examined the expressed fetal sheep heart transcriptome using high-throughput sequencing technologies. In so doing we identified 36,737 novel transcripts and describe genes, gene variants and pathways relevant to fundamental developmental mechanisms. Genes with the highest expression levels and with novel exons in the fetal heart transcriptome are known to play central roles in muscle development. We show that high-throughput sequencing methods can generate extensive transcriptome information in the absence of an assembled and annotated genome for that species. The gene sequence data obtained provide a unique genomic resource for sheep specific genetic technology development and, combined with the polymorphism data, augment annotation and assembly of the sheep genome. In addition, identification and pathway analysis of novel fetal sheep heart transcriptome splice variants is a first step towards revealing mechanisms of genetic variation and gene environment interactions during fetal heart development.

  14. Maternal exercise, season and sex modify the human fetal circadian rhythm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sletten, Julie; Cornelissen, Germaine; Assmus, Jørg; Kiserud, Torvid; Albrechtsen, Susanne; Kessler, Jörg

    2018-05-13

    The knowledge on circadian rhythmicity is rapidly expanding. We aimed to define the longitudinal development of the circadian heart rate rhythm in the human fetus in an unrestricted, out-of-hospital setting, and to examine the effects of maternal physical activity, season and fetal sex. We recruited 48 women with low-risk singleton pregnancies. Using a portable monitor for continuous fetal electrocardiography, fetal heart rate recordings were obtained around gestational weeks 24, 28, 32 and 36. Circadian rhythmicity in fetal heart rate and fetal heart rate variation was detected by cosinor analysis; developmental trends were calculated by population-mean cosinor and multilevel analysis. For the fetal heart rate and fetal heart rate variation, a significant circadian rhythm was present in 122/123 (99.2%) and 116/121 (95.9%) of the individual recordings, respectively. The rhythms were best described by combining cosine waves with periods of 24 and 8 hours. With increasing gestational age, the magnitude of the fetal heart rate rhythm increased, and the peak of the fetal heart rate variation rhythm shifted from a mean of 14:25 (24 weeks) to 20:52 (36 weeks). With advancing gestation, the rhythm-adjusted mean value of the fetal heart rate decreased linearly in females (prhythm diversity was found in male fetuses, during higher maternal physical activity and during the summer season. The dynamic development of the fetal circadian heart rate rhythm during the second half of pregnancy is modified by fetal sex, maternal physical activity and season. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  15. Fetal and neonatal mortality in patients with isolated congenital heart diseases and heart conditions associated with extracardiac abnormalities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marantz, Pablo; Sáenz Tejeira, M Mercedes; Peña, Gabriela; Segovia, Alejandra; Fustiñana, Carlos

    2013-10-01

    Congenital malformations are a known cause of intrauterine death; of them, congenital heart diseases (CHDs) are accountable for the highest fetal and neonatal mortality rates. They are strongly associated with other extracardiac malformations and an early fetal mortality. Two hundred and twenty fves cases of CHDs are presented. Of them, 155 were isolated CHDs (group A) and 70 were associated with extracardiac malformations, chromosomal disorders, or genetic syndromes (group B). The overall mortality in group B was higher than that observed in group A (p Heart diseases associated with extracardiac abnormalities had a higher mortality rate than isolated congenital heart diseases in the period up to 60 weeks of postmenstrual age (140 days post-term). No differences were observed between both groups of patients in terms of prenatal mortality.

  16. A brief history of fetal echocardiography and its impact on the management of congenital heart disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maulik, Dev; Nanda, Navin C; Maulik, Devika; Vilchez, Gustavo

    2017-12-01

    Congenital heart disease (CHD), the most common congenital malformation, is associated with adverse outcome. Development of fetal echocardiography has made prenatal diagnosis of CHD a reality, and in the process revolutionized its management. This historical review briefly narrates this development over the decades focusing on the emergence of the primary modalities of fetal echocardiography comprised of the time-motion mode, two-dimensional B-mode, spectral Doppler, color Doppler, and three- and four-dimensional cardiac imaging. Collaboration between clinicians and engineers has been central to these advances. Also discussed are the accuracy and impact of fetal echocardiography on the management of CHD, and especially its role in the prenatal diagnosis of critical CHD in individualizing the management and improving the outcome. Despite these advances, most cases of CHD are not identified prenatally, emphasizing the continuing need for further technological and educational innovation and improvement. © 2017, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  17. Influence of carbon monoxide poisoning on the fetal heart monitor tracing: a report of 3 cases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Towers, Craig V; Corcoran, Vincent A

    2009-03-01

    The diagnosis of carbon monoxide poisoning in the third trimester of pregnancy requires an index of suspicion, and the appearance of the fetal heart monitor tracing may help in this regard. Three cases of third-trimester acute carbon monoxide poisoning occurred. In each pregnancy, the fetal heart monitor tracing on admission was correlated with the maternal carboxyhemoglobin level, and how the pattern changed following the institution of therapy was analyzed. In all 3 cases, the initial fetal heart rate pattern demonstrated decreased variability with an elevated baseline and an absence of accelerations and decelerations. Within 45-90 minutes of treatment onset, the baseline fetal heart rate dropped by 20-40 beats per minute, the variability became moderate, and accelerations occurred. Absent accelerations with minimal variability, if caused by uteroplacental insufficiency, are usually preceded by recurrent decelerations. Absent accelerations with minimal variability in the absence of recurrent decelerations may suggest another cause, of which carbon monoxide intoxication can be added to the differential, especially since this disorder often has nonspecific clinical symptoms.

  18. Intelligent Structured Intermittent Auscultation (ISIA): evaluation of a decision-making framework for fetal heart monitoring of low-risk women

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Background Research-informed fetal monitoring guidelines recommend intermittent auscultation (IA) for fetal heart monitoring for low-risk women. However, the use of cardiotocography (CTG) continues to dominate many institutional maternity settings. Methods A mixed methods intervention study with before and after measurement was undertaken in one secondary level health service to facilitate the implementation of an initiative to encourage the use of IA. The intervention initiative was a decision-making framework called Intelligent Structured Intermittent Auscultation (ISIA) introduced through an education session. Results Following the intervention, medical records review revealed an increase in the use of IA during labour represented by a relative change of 12%, with improved documentation of clinical findings from assessments, and a significant reduction in the risk of receiving an admission CTG (RR 0.75, 95% CI, 0.60 – 0.95, p = 0.016). Conclusion The ISIA informed decision-making framework transformed the practice of IA and provided a mechanism for knowledge translation that enabled midwives to implement evidence-based fetal heart monitoring for low risk women. PMID:24884597

  19. The Study of Fetal Rat Model of Intra-Amniotic Isoproterenol Injection Induced Heart Dysfunction and Phenotypic Switch of Contractile Proteins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yifei Li

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available To establish a reliable isoproterenol induced heart dysfunction fetal rat model and understand the switches of contractile proteins, 45 pregnant rats were divided into 15 mg/kg-once, 15 mg/kg-twice, sham-operated once, sham-operated twice, and control groups. And 18 adult rats were divided into isoproterenol-treated and control groups. H&E staining, Masson staining, and transmission electron microscope were performed. Apoptotic rate assessed by TUNEL analysis and expressions of ANP, BNP, MMP-2, and CTGF of hearts were measured. Intra-amniotic injections of isoproterenol were supplied on E14.5 and E15.5 for fetuses and 7-day continuous intraperitoneal injections were performed for adults. Then echocardiography was performed with M-mode view assessment on E18.5 and 6 weeks later, respectively. Isoproterenol twice treated fetuses exhibited significant changes in histological evaluation, and mitochondrial damages were significantly severe with increased apoptotic rate. ANP and BNP increased and that of MMP-2 increased in isoproterenol twice treated group compared to control group, without CTGF. The isoforms transition of troponin I and myosin heavy chain of fetal heart dysfunction were opposite to adult procedure. The administration of intra-amniotic isoproterenol to fetal rats could induce heart dysfunction and the regulation of contractile proteins of fetuses was different from adult procedure.

  20. Motion compensated cine CMR of the fetal heart using radial undersampling and compressed sensing

    OpenAIRE

    Roy, Christopher W.; Seed, Mike; Kingdom, John C.; Macgowan, Christopher K.

    2017-01-01

    Background To develop and evaluate a reconstruction framework for high resolution time-resolved CMR of the fetal heart in the presence of motion. Methods Data were acquired using a golden angle radial trajectory in seven fetal subjects and reconstructed as real-time images to detect fetal movement. Data acquired during through-plane motion were discarded whereas in-plane motion was corrected. A fetal cardiac gating signal was extracted to sort the corrected data by cardiac phase, allowing rec...

  1. Classification of Fetal Heart Rate Tracings Based on Wavelet-Transform & Self-Organizing Map Neural Networks

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Vasios, G

    2001-01-01

    .... We demonstrate that it is possible to distinguish between healthy subjects and acidemic fetuses by way of wavelet transform analysis of the fetal heart rate recordings and fetal pulse oximetry (FSpO2...

  2. Four-dimensional ultrasonography of the fetal heart with spatiotemporal image correlation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonçalves, Luís F; Lee, Wesley; Chaiworapongsa, Tinnakorn; Espinoza, Jimmy; Schoen, Mary Lou; Falkensammer, Peter; Treadwell, Marjorie; Romero, Roberto

    2003-12-01

    This study was undertaken to describe a new technique for the examination of the fetal heart using four-dimensional ultrasonography with spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC). Volume data sets of the fetal heart were acquired with a new cardiac gating technique (STIC), which uses automated transverse and longitudinal sweeps of the anterior chest wall. These volumes were obtained from 69 fetuses: 35 normal, 16 with congenital anomalies not affecting the cardiovascular system, and 18 with cardiac abnormalities. Dynamic multiplanar slicing and surface rendering of cardiac structures were performed. To illustrate the STIC technique, two representative volumes from a normal fetus were compared with volumes obtained from fetuses with the following congenital heart anomalies: atrioventricular septal defect, tricuspid stenosis, tricuspid atresia, and interrupted inferior vena cava with abnormal venous drainage. Volume datasets obtained with a transverse sweep were utilized to demonstrate the cardiac chambers, moderator band, interatrial and interventricular septae, atrioventricular valves, pulmonary veins, and outflow tracts. With the use of a reference dot to navigate the four-chamber view, intracardiac structures could be simultaneously studied in three orthogonal planes. The same volume dataset was used for surface rendering of the atrioventricular valves. The aortic and ductal arches were best visualized when the original plane of acquisition was sagittal. Volumes could be interactively manipulated to simultaneously visualize both outflow tracts, in addition to the aortic and ductal arches. Novel views of specific structures were generated. For example, the location and extent of a ventricular septal defect was imaged in a sagittal view of the interventricular septum. Furthermore, surface-rendered images of the atrioventricular valves were employed to distinguish between normal and pathologic conditions. Representative video clips were posted on the Journal's Web

  3. Description, evaluation and clinical decision making according to various fetal heart rate patterns. Inter-observer and regional variability

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lidegaard, O; Bøttcher, L M; Weber, Tom

    1992-01-01

    departments, especially between departments far apart. It is concluded that we still need a scientific clarification of which specific heart rate changes are the best predictors of fetal stress. Artificial intelligence programs for interpreting fetal cardiotocograms and ECG signals constitute one promising......At 10 Danish obstetrical departments, 116 residents (42 senior and 74 junior) participated in a study to assess inter-observer and regional variability in the description and evaluation of and clinical decision regarding 11 fetal heart rate patterns. The 11 traces included normal as well...... as pathological patterns, and normal as well as clinically asphyxiated babies. Five antepartum and six intrapartum patterns were included. A total of 1,276 descriptions and evaluations were obtained. The degree of agreement in description of fetal heart rate changes was high regarding the baseline...

  4. High resolution MR imaging of the fetal heart with cardiac triggering: a feasibility study in the sheep fetus

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamamura, Jin; Frisch, Michael; Adam, Gerhard; Wedegaertner, Ulrike [University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Hamburg (Germany); Schnackenburg, Bernhard; Kooijmann, Hendrik [Philips Medical Systems, Hamburg (Germany); Hecher, Kurt [University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Department of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, Hamburg (Germany)

    2009-10-15

    The aim of this study was to perform fetal cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with triggering of the fetal heart beat in utero in a sheep model. All experimental protocols were reviewed and the usage of ewes and fetuses was approved by the local animal protection authorities. Images of the hearts of six pregnant ewes were obtained by using a 1.5-T MR system (Philips Medical Systems, Best, Netherlands). The fetuses were chronically instrumented with a carotid catheter to measure the fetal heart frequency for the cardiac triggering. Pulse wave triggered, breath-hold cine-MRI with steady-state free precession (SSFP) was achieved in short axis, two-, four- and three-chamber views. The left ventricular volume and thus the function were measured from the short axis. The fetal heart frequencies ranged between 130 and 160 bpm. The mitral, tricuspid, aortic, and pulmonary valves could be clearly observed. The foramen ovale could be visualized. Myocardial contraction was shown in cine sequences. The average blood volume at the end systole was 3.4{+-}0.2 ml ({+-} SD). The average volume at end diastole was 5.2{+-}0.2 ml; thus the stroke volumes of the left ventricle in the systole were between 1.7 and 1.9 ml with ejection fractions of 38.6% and 39%, respectively. The pulse wave triggered cardiac MRI of the fetal heart allowed evaluation of anatomical structures and functional information. This feasibility study demonstrates the applicability of MRI for future evaluation of fetuses with complex congenital heart defects, once a noninvasive method has been developed to perform fetal cardiac triggering. (orig.)

  5. Fetal echocardiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chaubal, Nitin G.; Chaubal, Jyoti

    2009-01-01

    USG performed with a high-end machine, using a good cine-loop facility is extremely helpful in the diagnosis of fetal cardiac anomalies. In fetal echocardiography, the four-chamber view and the outflow-tract view are used to diagnose cardiac anomalies. The most important objective during a targeted anomaly scan is to identify those cases that need a dedicated fetal echocardiogram. Associated truncal and chromosomal anomalies need to be identified. This review shows how fetal echocardiography, apart from identifying structural defects in the fetal heart, can be used to look at rhythm abnormalities and other functional aspects of the fetal heart

  6. Fetal programming as a predictor of adult health or disease: the need to reevaluate fetal heart function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miranda, Joana O; Ramalho, Carla; Henriques-Coelho, Tiago; Areias, José Carlos

    2017-11-01

    Epidemiologic and experimental evidence suggests that adverse stimuli during critical periods in utero permanently alters organ structure and function and may have persistent consequences for the long-term health of the offspring. Fetal hypoxia, maternal malnutrition, or ventricular overloading are among the major adverse conditions that can compromise cardiovascular development in early life. With the heart as a central organ in fetal adaptive mechanisms, a deeper understanding of the fetal cardiovascular physiology and of the echocardiographic tools to assess both normal and stressed pregnancies would give precious information on fetal well-being and hopefully may help in early identification of special risk groups for cardiovascular diseases later in life. Assessment of cardiac function in the fetus represents an additional challenge when comparing to children and adults, requiring advanced training and a critical approach to properly acquire and interpret functional parameters. This review summarizes the basic fetal cardiovascular physiology and the main differences from the mature postnatal circulation, provides an overview of the particularities of echocardiographic evaluation in the fetus, and finally proposes an integrated view of in utero programming of cardiovascular diseases later in life, highlighting priorities for future clinical research.

  7. Congenital heart block maternal sera autoantibodies target an extracellular epitope on the α1G T-type calcium channel in human fetal hearts.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Linn S Strandberg

    Full Text Available Congenital heart block (CHB is a transplacentally acquired autoimmune disease associated with anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB maternal autoantibodies and is characterized primarily by atrioventricular (AV block of the fetal heart. This study aims to investigate whether the T-type calcium channel subunit α1G may be a fetal target of maternal sera autoantibodies in CHB.We demonstrate differential mRNA expression of the T-type calcium channel CACNA1G (α1G gene in the AV junction of human fetal hearts compared to the apex (18-22.6 weeks gestation. Using human fetal hearts (20-22 wks gestation, our immunoprecipitation (IP, Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence (IF staining results, taken together, demonstrate accessibility of the α1G epitope on the surfaces of cardiomyocytes as well as reactivity of maternal serum from CHB affected pregnancies to the α1G protein. By ELISA we demonstrated maternal sera reactivity to α1G was significantly higher in CHB maternal sera compared to controls, and reactivity was epitope mapped to a peptide designated as p305 (corresponding to aa305-319 of the extracellular loop linking transmembrane segments S5-S6 in α1G repeat I. Maternal sera from CHB affected pregnancies also reacted more weakly to the homologous region (7/15 amino acids conserved of the α1H channel. Electrophysiology experiments with single-cell patch-clamp also demonstrated effects of CHB maternal sera on T-type current in mouse sinoatrial node (SAN cells.Taken together, these results indicate that CHB maternal sera antibodies readily target an extracellular epitope of α1G T-type calcium channels in human fetal cardiomyocytes. CHB maternal sera also show reactivity for α1H suggesting that autoantibodies can target multiple fetal targets.

  8. Linear and nonlinear features of fetal heart rate on the assessment of fetal development in the course of pregnancy and the impact of fetal gender.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spyridou, K; Chouvarda, I; Hadjileontiadis, L; Maglaveras, N

    2018-01-30

    This work aims to investigate the impact of gestational age and fetal gender on fetal heart rate (FHR) tracings. Different linear and nonlinear parameters indicating correlation or complexity were used to study the influence of fetal age and gender on FHR tracings. The signals were recorded from 99 normal pregnant women in a singleton pregnancy at gestational ages from 28 to 40 weeks, before the onset of labor. There were 56 female fetuses and 43 male. Analysis of FHR shows that the means as well as measures of irregularity of FHR, such as approximate entropy and algorithmic complexity, decrease as gestation progresses. There were also indications that mutual information and multiscale entropy were lower in male fetuses in early pregnancy. Fetal age and gender seem to influence FHR tracings. Taking this into consideration would improve the interpretation of FHR monitoring.

  9. Nonreassuring fetal heart rate patterns and nucleated red blood cells in term neonates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kovalak, E Ebru; Dede, F Suat; Gelisen, Orhan; Dede, Hulya; Haberal, Ali

    2011-05-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between nonreassuring fetal heart rate patterns during labor and umbilical cord nucleated red blood cell counts. Nucleated red blood cell data was collected prospectively from 41 singleton term neonates presented with nonreassuring fetal heart rate patterns and/or meconium stained amniotic fluid during labor (study group) and from 45 term neonates without any evidence of nonreassuring fetal status (controls). Umbilical artery pH, blood gases and base excess were also determined to investigate the correlation between independent variables. The median nucleated red blood cells per 100 white blood cells were 13 (range 0-37) in the study group and 8 (range 0-21) in the control group. Stepwise regression analysis have identified meconium stained amniotic fluid (R(2) = 0.15, p patterns. Nucleated red blood cells in the cord blood of newborns were found to be elevated in patients with nonreassuring FHR patterns during labor. However, the wide range and the poor correlation of NRBC count with umbilical artery pH and blood gas values limit its clinical utility as a marker for fetal hypoxia.

  10. Telefetalcare: a first prototype of a wearable fetal electrocardiograph.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fanelli, A; Signorini, M G; Ferrario, M; Perego, P; Piccini, L; Andreoni, G; Magenes, G

    2011-01-01

    Fetal heart rate monitoring is fundamental to infer information about fetal health state during pregnancy. The cardiotocography (CTG) is the most common antepartum monitoring technique. Abdominal ECG recording represents the most valuable alternative to cardiotocography, as it allows passive, non invasive and long term fetal monitoring. Unluckily fetal ECG has low SNR and needs to be extracted from abdominal recordings using ad hoc algorithms. This work describes a prototype of a wearable fetal ECG electrocardiograph. The system has flat band frequency response between 1-60 Hz and guarantees good signal quality. It was tested on pregnant women between the 30(th) and 34(th) gestational week. Several electrodes configurations were tested, in order to identify the best solution. Implementation of a simple algorithm for FECG extraction permitted the reliable detection of maternal and fetal QRS complexes. The system will allow continuative and deep screening of fetal heart rate, introducing the possibility of home fetal monitoring.

  11. Impact of fetal echocardiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simpson, John M

    2009-01-01

    Prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease is now well established for a wide range of cardiac anomalies. Diagnosis of congenital heart disease during fetal life not only identifies the cardiac lesion but may also lead to detection of associated abnormalities. This information allows a detailed discussion of the prognosis with parents. For continuing pregnancies, appropriate preparation can be made to optimize the postnatal outcome. Reduced morbidity and mortality, following antenatal diagnosis, has been reported for coarctation of the aorta, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, and transposition of the great arteries. With regard to screening policy, most affected fetuses are in the “low risk” population, emphasizing the importance of appropriate training for those who undertake such obstetric anomaly scans. As a minimum, the four chamber view of the fetal heart should be incorporated into midtrimester anomaly scans, and where feasible, views of the outflow tracts should also be included, to increase the diagnostic yield. Newer screening techniques, such as measurement of nuchal translucency, may contribute to identification of fetuses at high risk for congenital heart disease and prompt referral for detailed cardiac assessment

  12. Epicardial excitation pattern as observed in the isolated revived and perfused fetal human heart

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Durrer, D.; Büller, J.; Graaff, P.; Lo, G.I.; Meijler, F.L.

    1961-01-01

    The resuscitated fetal human heart can be used as an experimental tooI for the investigation of the excitatory process in the human heart. During perfusion the configuration of the epicardial electrocardiograms does not change appreciably. For accurate recording permitting a detailed analysis, the

  13. Monitoring fetal heart rate during pregnancy: contributions from advanced signal processing and wearable technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Signorini, Maria G; Fanelli, Andrea; Magenes, Giovanni

    2014-01-01

    Monitoring procedures are the basis to evaluate the clinical state of patients and to assess changes in their conditions, thus providing necessary interventions in time. Both these two objectives can be achieved by integrating technological development with methodological tools, thus allowing accurate classification and extraction of useful diagnostic information. The paper is focused on monitoring procedures applied to fetal heart rate variability (FHRV) signals, collected during pregnancy, in order to assess fetal well-being. The use of linear time and frequency techniques as well as the computation of non linear indices can contribute to enhancing the diagnostic power and reliability of fetal monitoring. The paper shows how advanced signal processing approaches can contribute to developing new diagnostic and classification indices. Their usefulness is evaluated by comparing two selected populations: normal fetuses and intra uterine growth restricted (IUGR) fetuses. Results show that the computation of different indices on FHRV signals, either linear and nonlinear, gives helpful indications to describe pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the cardiovascular and neural system controlling the fetal heart. As a further contribution, the paper briefly describes how the introduction of wearable systems for fetal ECG recording could provide new technological solutions improving the quality and usability of prenatal monitoring.

  14. Correlating multidimensional fetal heart rate variability analysis with acid-base balance at birth

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frasch, Martin G; Durosier, Lucien D; Xu, Yawen; Wang, Xiaogang; Gao, Xin; Stampalija, Tamara; Herry, Christophe; Seely, Andrew JE; Casati, Daniela; Ferrazzi, Enrico; Alfirevic, Zarko

    2014-01-01

    Fetal monitoring during labour currently fails to accurately detect acidemia. We developed a method to assess the multidimensional properties of fetal heart rate variability (fHRV) from trans-abdominal fetal electrocardiogram (fECG) during labour. We aimed to assess this novel bioinformatics approach for correlation between fHRV and neonatal pH or base excess (BE) at birth. We enrolled a prospective pilot cohort of uncomplicated singleton pregnancies at 38–42 weeks’ gestation in Milan, Italy, and Liverpool, UK. Fetal monitoring was performed by standard cardiotocography. Simultaneously, with fECG (high sampling frequency) was recorded. To ensure clinician blinding, fECG information was not displayed. Data from the last 60 min preceding onset of second-stage labour were analyzed using clinically validated continuous individualized multiorgan variability analysis (CIMVA) software in 5 min overlapping windows. CIMVA allows simultaneous calculation of 101 fHRV measures across five fHRV signal analysis domains. We validated our mathematical prediction model internally with 80:20 cross-validation split, comparing results to cord pH and BE at birth. The cohort consisted of 60 women with neonatal pH values at birth ranging from 7.44 to 6.99 and BE from −0.3 to −18.7 mmol L −1 . Our model predicted pH from 30 fHRV measures (R 2 = 0.90, P < 0.001) and BE from 21 fHRV measures (R 2 = 0.77, P < 0.001). Novel bioinformatics approach (CIMVA) applied to fHRV derived from trans-abdominal fECG during labor correlated well with acid-base balance at birth. Further refinement and validation in larger cohorts are needed. These new measurements of fHRV might offer a new opportunity to predict fetal acid-base balance at birth. (fast track communication)

  15. Fetal Echocardiography and Indications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melih Atahan Güven

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available Congenital heart diseases are encountered in 0.8% of live births and are among the most frequently diagnosed malformations. At least half of these anomalies end up with death or require surgical interventions and are responsible for 30% of the perinatal mortality. Fetal echocardiography is the sum of knowledge, skill and orientation rather than knowing the embryologic details of the fetal heart. The purpose of fetal echocardiography is to document the presence of normal fetal cardiac anatomy and rhythm in high risk group and to define the anomaly and arrhythmia if present. A certain sequence should be followed during the evaluation of fetal heart. Sequential segmental analysis (SSA and basic definition terminology made it possible to determine a lot of complex cardiac anomalies during prenatal period. By the end of 1970’s, Shinebourne started using sequential segmental analysis for fetal cardiac evaluation and today, prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease is possible without any confusion. In this manner, whole fetal heart can be evaluated as the relation of three segments (atria, ventricles and the great arteries with each other, irrelevant of complexity of a possible cardiac anomaly. Presence of increased nuchal thickness during early gestation and abnormal four-chamber-view during ultrasonography by the obstetrician presents a clear indication for fetal echocardiography,however, one should keep in mind that 80-90% of the babies born with a congenital heart disease do not have a familial or maternal risk factor. In addition, it should be remembered that expectant mothers with diabetes mellitus pose an indication for fetal echocardiography.

  16. Fetal cardiology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meijboom, E.J.; Rijsterborgh, N.; Bom, N.

    1986-01-01

    Doppler echocardiography makes it possible to diagnose congenital heart disease in early pregnancy. It allows us to study the anatomical configuration of the fetal heart, and additionally, to evaluate the physiological conditions of the fetus. Evaluation of the direction, velocity, wave form pattern, and quantification of blood flow at the various sites in the fetal heart helps us to assess the characteristics of the fetal circulation and condition of the fetal heart. In order to use this technique in pathological situations, an initial study of the developing normal human fetal circulation was necessary. The authors studied 34 uncomplicated pregnancies by serial Doppler echocardiography. The studies were performed every 4 weeks from 16-weeks gestation to term. The pulsed Doppler sector scanner provided cardiac cross-sectional images, mitral and tricuspid blood velocities were obtained from apical four-chamber views. Angle corrected maximal and mean temporal velocities were calculated by digitizing the Doppler frequency shift recording on a graphic tablet computed with a minicomputer. The angle between the Doppler interrogation beam and the direction of blood flow was kept as small as possible in order to minimize the error

  17. Digital communication with fetal monitors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bozóki, Z

    1997-11-01

    Fetal heart rate (FHR) values in the averaged format that are provided by commercial computed cardiotocography analysis systems may be unsuitable for special analysis purposes. I developed a communication software program to obtain any measured values of fetal monitors for individual analysis of computed cardiotocography. The software program was used to study the data continuity of beat-to-beat FHR values as an experiment for chaos theory and power spectrum analysis. The results indicated that the signal loss was recognized at a precision of 95%. The described method of digital communication with fetal monitors was found to be useful for individual purposes in the field of computed cardiotocography analysis.

  18. Development of the Human Placenta and Fetal Heart: Synergic or Independent?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Graham J. Burton

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The placenta is the largest fetal organ, and toward the end of pregnancy the umbilical circulation receives at least 40% of the biventricular cardiac output. It is not surprising, therefore, that there are likely to be close haemodynamic links between the development of the placenta and the fetal heart. Development of the placenta is precocious, and in advance of that of the fetus. The placenta undergoes considerable remodeling at the end of the first trimester of pregnancy, and its vasculature is capable of adapting to environmental conditions and to variations in the blood supply received from the mother. There are two components to the placental membranes to consider, the secondary yolk sac and the chorioallantoic placenta. The yolk sac is the first of the extraembryonic membranes to be vascularized, and condensations in the mesenchyme at ~17 days post-conception (p.c. give rise to endothelial and erythroid precursors. A network of blood vessels is established ~24 days p.c., with the vitelline vein draining through the region of the developing liver into the sinus venosus. Gestational sacs of early pregnancy failures often display aberrant development of the yolk sac, which is likely to be secondary to abnormal fetal development. Vasculogenesis occurs in the villous mesenchyme of the chorioallantoic placenta at a similarly early stage. Nucleated erythrocytes occupy the lumens of the placental capillaries and end-diastolic flow is absent in the umbilical arterial circulation throughout most of the first trimester, indicating a high resistance to blood flow. Resistance begins to fall in the umbilico-placental circulation around 12–14 weeks. During normal early pregnancy the placental capillary network is plastic, and considerable remodeling occurs in response to the local oxygen concentration, and in particular to oxidative stress. In pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia and/or fetal growth restriction, utero-placental malperfusion induces

  19. Intermittent auscultation (IA) of fetal heart rate in labour for fetal well-being.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martis, Ruth; Emilia, Ova; Nurdiati, Detty S; Brown, Julie

    2017-02-13

    The goal of fetal monitoring in labour is the early detection of a hypoxic baby. There are a variety of tools and methods available for intermittent auscultation (IA) of the fetal heart rate (FHR). Low- and middle-income countries usually have only access to a Pinard/Laënnec or the use of a hand-held Doppler device. Currently, there is no robust evidence to guide clinical practice on the most effective IA tool to use, timing intervals and length of listening to the fetal heart for women during established labour. To evaluate the effectiveness of different tools for IA of the fetal heart rate during labour including frequency and duration of auscultation. We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (19 September 2016), contacted experts and searched reference lists of retrieved articles. All published and unpublished randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or cluster-RCTs comparing different tools and methods used for intermittent fetal auscultation during labour for fetal and maternal well-being. Quasi-RCTs, and cross-over designs were not eligible for inclusion. All review authors independently assessed eligibility, extracted data and assessed risk of bias for each trial. Data were checked for accuracy. We included three studies (6241 women and 6241 babies), but only two studies are included in the meta-analyses (3242 women and 3242 babies). Both were judged as high risk for performance bias due to the inability to blind the participants and healthcare providers to the interventions. Evidence was graded as moderate to very low quality; the main reasons for downgrading were study design limitations and imprecision of effect estimates. Intermittent Electronic Fetal Monitoring (EFM) using Cardiotocography (CTG) with routine Pinard (one trial)There was no clear difference between groups in low Apgar scores at five minutes (reported as < six at five minutes after birth) (risk ratio (RR) 0.66, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.24 to 1.83, 633

  20. Incidence and predictors of obstetric and fetal complications in women with structural heart disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Hagen, Iris M; Roos-Hesselink, Jolien W; Donvito, Valentina; Liptai, Csilla; Morissens, Marielle; Murphy, Daniel J; Galian, Laura; Bazargani, Nooshin Mohd; Cornette, Jérôme; Hall, Roger; Johnson, Mark R

    2017-10-01

    Women with cardiac disease becoming pregnant have an increased risk of obstetric and fetal events. The aim of this study was to study the incidence of events, to validate the modified WHO (mWHO) risk classification and to search for event-specific predictors. The Registry Of Pregnancy And Cardiac disease is a worldwide ongoing prospective registry that has enrolled 2742 pregnancies in women with known cardiac disease (mainly congenital and valvular disease) before pregnancy, from January 2008 up to April 2014. Mean age was 28.2±5.5 years, 45% were nulliparous and 33.3% came from emerging countries. Obstetric events occurred in 231 pregnancies (8.4%). Fetal events occurred in 651 pregnancies (23.7%). The mWHO classification performed poorly in predicting obstetric (c-statistic=0.601) and fetal events (c-statistic=0.561). In multivariable analysis, aortic valve disease was associated with pre-eclampsia (OR=2.6, 95%CI=1.3 to 5.5). Congenital heart disease (CHD) was associated with spontaneous preterm birth (OR=1.8, 95%CI=1.2 to 2.7). Complex CHD was associated with small-for-gestational-age neonates (OR=2.3, 95%CI=1.5 to 3.5). Multiple gestation was the strongest predictor of fetal events: fetal/neonatal death (OR=6.4, 95%CI=2.5 to 16), spontaneous preterm birth (OR=5.3, 95%CI=2.5 to 11) and small-for-gestational age (OR=5.0, 95%CI=2.5 to 9.8). The mWHO classification is not suitable for prediction of obstetric and fetal events in women with cardiac disease. Maternal complex CHD was independently associated with fetal growth restriction and aortic valve disease with pre-eclampsia, potentially offering an insight into the pathophysiology of these pregnancy complications. The increased rates of adverse obstetric and fetal outcomes in women with pre-existing heart disease should be highlighted during counselling. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless

  1. Continuous cardiotocography (CTG) as a form of electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) for fetal assessment during labour.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alfirevic, Zarko; Devane, Declan; Gyte, Gillian Ml; Cuthbert, Anna

    2017-02-03

    Cardiotocography (CTG) records changes in the fetal heart rate and their temporal relationship to uterine contractions. The aim is to identify babies who may be short of oxygen (hypoxic) to guide additional assessments of fetal wellbeing, or determine if the baby needs to be delivered by caesarean section or instrumental vaginal birth. This is an update of a review previously published in 2013, 2006 and 2001. To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of continuous cardiotocography when used as a method to monitor fetal wellbeing during labour. We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group Trials Register (30 November 2016) and reference lists of retrieved studies. Randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials involving a comparison of continuous cardiotocography (with and without fetal blood sampling) with no fetal monitoring, intermittent auscultation intermittent cardiotocography. Two review authors independently assessed study eligibility, quality and extracted data from included studies. Data were checked for accuracy. We included 13 trials involving over 37,000 women. No new studies were included in this update.One trial (4044 women) compared continuous CTG with intermittent CTG, all other trials compared continuous CTG with intermittent auscultation. No data were found comparing no fetal monitoring with continuous CTG. Overall, methodological quality was mixed. All included studies were at high risk of performance bias, unclear or high risk of detection bias, and unclear risk of reporting bias. Only two trials were assessed at high methodological quality.Compared with intermittent auscultation, continuous cardiotocography showed no significant improvement in overall perinatal death rate (risk ratio (RR) 0.86, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.59 to 1.23, N = 33,513, 11 trials, low quality evidence), but was associated with halving neonatal seizure rates (RR 0.50, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.80, N = 32,386, 9 trials, moderate quality evidence). There was no

  2. Extracting fetal heart beats from maternal abdominal recordings: selection of the optimal principal components

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Di Maria, Costanzo; Liu, Chengyu; Zheng, Dingchang; Murray, Alan; Langley, Philip

    2014-01-01

    This study presents a systematic comparison of different approaches to the automated selection of the principal components (PC) which optimise the detection of maternal and fetal heart beats from non-invasive maternal abdominal recordings. A public database of 75 4-channel non-invasive maternal abdominal recordings was used for training the algorithm. Four methods were developed and assessed to determine the optimal PC: (1) power spectral distribution, (2) root mean square, (3) sample entropy, and (4) QRS template. The sensitivity of the performance of the algorithm to large-amplitude noise removal (by wavelet de-noising) and maternal beat cancellation methods were also assessed. The accuracy of maternal and fetal beat detection was assessed against reference annotations and quantified using the detection accuracy score F1 [2*PPV*Se / (PPV + Se)], sensitivity (Se), and positive predictive value (PPV). The best performing implementation was assessed on a test dataset of 100 recordings and the agreement between the computed and the reference fetal heart rate (fHR) and fetal RR (fRR) time series quantified. The best performance for detecting maternal beats (F1 99.3%, Se 99.0%, PPV 99.7%) was obtained when using the QRS template method to select the optimal maternal PC and applying wavelet de-noising. The best performance for detecting fetal beats (F1 89.8%, Se 89.3%, PPV 90.5%) was obtained when the optimal fetal PC was selected using the sample entropy method and utilising a fixed-length time window for the cancellation of the maternal beats. The performance on the test dataset was 142.7 beats 2 /min 2 for fHR and 19.9 ms for fRR, ranking respectively 14 and 17 (out of 29) when compared to the other algorithms presented at the Physionet Challenge 2013. (paper)

  3. RELATION OF FETAL BLOOD-GASES AND DATA FROM COMPUTER-ASSISTED ANALYSIS OF FETAL HEART-RATE PATTERNS IN SMALL FOR GESTATION FETUSES

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    RIBBERT, LSM; SNIJDERS, RJM; NICOLAIDES, KH; VISSER, GHA

    Fetal heart rate (FHR) monitoring and computer-assisted analysis were performed immediately before cordocentesis in 25 severely small-for-gestational age fetuses. There were significant associations between FHR variation and both umbilical vein blood Po2 (r = 0.66) and pH (r = 0.69). However, the

  4. Computerized analysis of fetal heart rate variability signal during the stages of labor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Annunziata, Maria Laura; Tagliaferri, Salvatore; Esposito, Francesca Giovanna; Giuliano, Natascia; Mereghini, Flavia; Di Lieto, Andrea; Campanile, Marta

    2016-03-01

    To analyze computerized cardiotocographic (cCTG) parameters (baseline fetal heart rate, baseline FHR; short term variability, STV; approximate entropy, ApEn; low frequency, LF; movement frequency, MF; high frequency, HF) in physiological pregnancy in order to correlate them with the stages of labor. This could provide more information for understanding the mechanisms of nervous system control of FHR during labor progression. A total of 534 pregnant women were monitored on cCTG from the 37th week before the onset of spontaneous labor and during the first and the second stage of labor. Statistical analysis was performed using Kruskal-Wallis test and Wilcoxon rank-sum test with the Bonferroni adjusted α (labor, and the first and second stages of labor. Differences between some of the stages were found for ApEn, LF and for LF/(HF + MF), where the first and the third were reduced and the second was increased. cCTG modifications during labor may reflect the physiologic increased activation of the autonomous nervous system. Using computerized fetal heart rate analysis during labor it may be possible to obtain more information from the fetal cardiac signal, in comparison with the traditional tracing. © 2016 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

  5. Algorithms for Computerized Fetal Heart Rate Diagnosis with Direct Reporting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kazuo Maeda

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Aims: Since pattern classification of fetal heart rate (FHR was subjective and enlarged interobserver difference, objective FHR analysis was achieved with computerized FHR diagnosis. Methods: The computer algorithm was composed of an experts’ knowledge system, including FHR analysis and FHR score calculation, and also of an objective artificial neural network system with software. In addition, a FHR frequency spectrum was studied to detect ominous sinusoidal FHR and the loss of baseline variability related to fetal brain damage. The algorithms were installed in a central-computerized automatic FHR monitoring system, which gave the diagnosis rapidly and directly to the attending doctor. Results: Clinically perinatal mortality decreased significantly and no cerebral palsy developed after introduction of the centralized system. Conclusion: The automatic multichannel FHR monitoring system improved the monitoring, increased the objectivity of FHR diagnosis and promoted clinical results.

  6. Basic heart examination: feasibility study of first-trimester systematic simplified fetal echocardiography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quarello, E; Lafouge, A; Fries, N; Salomon, L J

    2017-02-01

    First-trimester fetal cardiac screening examinations in low-risk populations should not have to meet the specifications required for high-risk populations. Our aim was to evaluate a simplified fetal echocardiographic ('basic heart') examination for early detection of severe congenital heart defects in a low-risk population. This was a first-trimester national 'flash study', performed over a 2-week period. Each observer was requested to perform simplified echocardiography without modifying the time and methods deemed necessary for the routine first-trimester ultrasound examination, in fetuses with crown-rump length between 45 and 84 mm. This basic heart assessment used targeted cross-sections of the four-chamber view (4CV) and of the three vessels and trachea (3VT) view, using color and/or directional power Doppler. All examinations were then reviewed offline and scored for quality by a qualified expert. Sixty observers performed a total of 597 first-trimester ultrasound examinations, each performing an average of 10 (range, 1-26) procedures. Examinations were conducted transabdominally (79%; 472/597), transvaginally (3%; 17/597) or both (18%; 108/597). In 8% (45/597) of cases, the fetal back was anterior, in 18% (108/597) it was on the left side, in 63% (377/597) it was posterior and in 11% (67/597) it was on the right side. It became clear during scoring by the expert that, unlike the Herman quality score for nuchal translucency measurement, it was difficult to assess the quality of these images without taking into account normality of the heart itself. Analysis of scores showed that the 4CV was obtained successfully and was deemed normal in 86% (512/597) of the patients, in 7% (41/597) it was deemed technically infeasible and in 7% (44/597) it was deemed feasible but atypical, which may have been due to the presence of an abnormality or to poor quality of the image. The 3VT view was obtained successfully and was normal in 79% (472/597) of the patients, in 13

  7. The protective effect of ursodeoxycholic acid in an in vitro model of the human fetal heart occurs via targeting cardiac fibroblasts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schultz, Francisca; Hasan, Alveera; Alvarez-Laviada, Anita; Miragoli, Michele; Bhogal, Navneet; Wells, Sarah; Poulet, Claire; Chambers, Jenny; Williamson, Catherine; Gorelik, Julia

    2016-01-01

    Bile acids are elevated in the blood of women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) and this may lead to fetal arrhythmia, fetal hypoxia and potentially fetal death in utero. The bile acid taurocholic acid (TC) causes abnormal calcium dynamics and contraction in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), a drug clinically used to treat ICP, prevents adverse effects of TC. During development, the fetus is in a state of relative hypoxia. Although this is essential for the development of the heart and vasculature, resident fibroblasts can transiently differentiate into myofibroblasts and form gap junctions with cardiomyocytes in vitro, resulting in cardiomyocyte depolarization. We expanded on previously published work using an in vitro hypoxia model to investigate the differentiation of human fetal fibroblasts into myofibroblasts. Recent evidence shows that potassium channels are involved in maintaining the membrane potential of ventricular fibroblasts and that ATP-dependent potassium (KATP) channel subunits are expressed in cultured fibroblasts. KATP channels are a valuable target as they are thought to have a cardioprotective role during ischaemic and hypoxic conditions. We investigated whether UDCA could modulate fibroblast membrane potential. We established the isolation and culture of human fetal cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts to investigate the effect of hypoxia, TC and UDCA on human fetal cardiac cells. UDCA hyperpolarized myofibroblasts and prevented TC-induced depolarisation, possibly through the activation of KATP channels that are expressed in cultured fibroblasts. Also, similar to the rat model, UDCA can counteract TC-induced calcium abnormalities in human fetal cultures of cardiomyocytes and myofibroblasts. Under normoxic conditions, we found a higher number of myofibroblasts in cultures derived from human fetal hearts compared to cells isolated from neonatal rat hearts, indicating a possible increased number of myofibroblasts

  8. The use of non-invasive fetal electrocardiography in diagnosing second-degree fetal atrioventricular block.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lakhno, Igor; Behar, Joachim A; Oster, Julien; Shulgin, Vyacheslav; Ostras, Oleksii; Andreotti, Fernando

    2017-01-01

    Complete atrioventricular block in fetuses is known to be mostly associated with autoimmune disease and can be irreversible if no steroids treatment is provided. Conventional methods used in clinical practice for diagnosing fetal arrhythmia are limited since they do not reflect the primary electrophysiological conduction processes that take place in the myocardium. The non-invasive fetal electrocardiogram has the potential to better support fetal arrhythmias diagnosis through the continuous analysis of the beat to beat variation of the fetal heart rate and morphological analysis of the PQRST complex. We present two retrospective case reports on which atrioventricular block diagnosis could have been supported by the non-invasive fetal electrocardiogram. The two cases comprised a 22-year-old pregnant woman with the gestational age of 31 weeks and a 25-year-old pregnant woman with the gestational age of 41 weeks. Both women were admitted to the Department of Maternal and Fetal Medicine at the Kyiv and Kharkiv municipal perinatal clinics. Patients were observed using standard fetal monitoring methods as well as the non-invasive fetal electrocardiogram. The non-invasive fetal electrocardiographic recordings were analyzed retrospectively, where it is possible to identify the presence of the atrioventricular block. This study demonstrates, for the first time, the feasibility of the non-invasive fetal electrocardiogram as a supplementary method to diagnose of the fetal atrioventricular block. Combined with current fetal monitoring techniques, non-invasive fetal electrocardiography could support clinical decisions.

  9. Fetal electrocardiogram (ECG) for fetal monitoring during labour.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neilson, James P

    2015-12-21

    Hypoxaemia during labour can alter the shape of the fetal electrocardiogram (ECG) waveform, notably the relation of the PR to RR intervals, and elevation or depression of the ST segment. Technical systems have therefore been developed to monitor the fetal ECG during labour as an adjunct to continuous electronic fetal heart rate monitoring with the aim of improving fetal outcome and minimising unnecessary obstetric interference. To compare the effects of analysis of fetal ECG waveforms during labour with alternative methods of fetal monitoring. The Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (latest search 23 September 2015) and reference lists of retrieved studies. Randomised trials comparing fetal ECG waveform analysis with alternative methods of fetal monitoring during labour. One review author independently assessed trials for inclusion and risk of bias, extracted data and checked them for accuracy. One review author assessed the quality of the evidence using the GRADE approach. Seven trials (27,403 women) were included: six trials of ST waveform analysis (26,446 women) and one trial of PR interval analysis (957 women). The trials were generally at low risk of bias for most domains and the quality of evidence for ST waveform analysis trials was graded moderate to high. In comparison to continuous electronic fetal heart rate monitoring alone, the use of adjunctive ST waveform analysis made no obvious difference to primary outcomes: births by caesarean section (risk ratio (RR) 1.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.96 to 1.08; six trials, 26,446 women; high quality evidence); the number of babies with severe metabolic acidosis at birth (cord arterial pH less than 7.05 and base deficit greater than 12 mmol/L) (average RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.43 to 1.20; six trials, 25,682 babies; moderate quality evidence); or babies with neonatal encephalopathy (RR 0.61, 95% CI 0.30 to 1.22; six trials, 26,410 babies; high quality evidence). There were, however, on average

  10. Bloqueio AV total congênito: novo modelo experimental para avaliação do marcapasso fetal Fetal heart block: a new experimental model to assess fetal pacing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renato S Assad

    1994-09-01

    Full Text Available O implante de marcapasso epicárdíco em fetos via toracotomia é um procedimento potencialmente mais seguro e eficaz para se tratar o bloqueio AV total congênito (BAVT, quando associado à hidropsia fetal e refratário ao tratamento clínico. Este estudo foi desenvolvido com o objetivo de avaliar as características eletrofisiológicas de dois eletrodos epicárdicos através de novo modelo experimental de BAVT congênito induzido pela crioablação do nó AV. Foram aplicados, em 2 grupos de 6 fetos de ovelhas (80% da gestação, um eletrodo de rosqueamento (1,5 voltas e outro de sutura epicárdica. O BAVT foi obtido em todos os fetos, não sendo observado nenhum ritmo de escape ventricular. Os limiares de estimulação foram baixos para ambos os eletrodos, com valores inferiores para o eletrodo de rosqueamento com largura de pulso abaixo de 0,9 mseg (p 0,20 na amplitude da onda R dos 2 eletrodos. O slew rate foi significativamente maior para o grupo de fetos com eletrodo de rosqueamento (1,40 ± 0,2 versus 0,62 ± 0,2 V/seg. p=0,04. O método é simples e reprodutível para avaliação do marcapasso fetal, sendo que o eletrodo de rosqueamento representa a melhor opção, quando houver indicação de implante de marcapasso em fetos.Epicardial fetal pacing via thoracotomy has the potential for being a safer and more reliable procedure to treat congenital complete heart block (CHB associated with fetal hydrops refractory to medical therapy. To assess the acute electrophysiologic characteristics of two ventricular epicardial leads, a new experimental model of fetal heart block induced by cryosurgical ablation of the AV node without the need for fetal cardiac bypass was performed in 12 pregnant ewes at 110-115 days of gestation. A modified screw-in lead (one and a half turn was used in 6 fetal lambs and a stitch-on lead in the other 6 lambs. CHB was achieved in 100% of the fetal lambs, with no ventricular escape rate noticed in any of the lambs

  11. Comparison of pancuronium and vecuronium for fetal neuromuscular blockade during invasive procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watson, W J; Atchison, S R; Harlass, F E

    1996-01-01

    Neuromuscular blocking agents, used to arrest fetal motion for invasive intrauterine procedures, may cause temporary fetal heart rate changes. After 21 invasive procedures using either pancuronium bromide or vecuronium bromide, post-procedure fetal heart rate tracings were retrospectively compared. Pancuronium was associated with an increased fetal heart rate and decreased beat-to-beat variability for 2.5 hours after its use, whereas vecuronium caused no fetal heart rate changes. Vecuronium bromide offers advantages over pancuronium, because the decreased effect on the fetal heart allows better assessment of fetal well-being immediately following invasive intrauterine procedures.

  12. Does heart rate variability reflect the systemic inflammatory response in a fetal sheep model of lipopolysaccharide-induced sepsis?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Durosier, Lucien D; Cao, Mingju; Frasch, Martin G; Herry, Christophe L; Seely, Andrew J E; Cortes, Marina; Burns, Patrick; Desrochers, André; Fecteau, Gilles

    2015-01-01

    Fetal inflammatory response occurs during chorioamnionitis, a frequent and often subclinical inflammation associated with increased risk for brain injury and life-lasting neurologic deficits. No means of early detection exist. We hypothesized that systemic fetal inflammation without septic shock will be reflected in alterations of fetal heart rate (FHR) variability (fHRV) distinguishing baseline versus inflammatory response states.In chronically instrumented near-term fetal sheep (n = 24), we induced an inflammatory response with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injected intravenously (n = 14). Ten additional fetuses served as controls. We measured fetal plasma inflammatory cytokine IL-6 at baseline, 1, 3, 6, 24 and 48 h. 44 fHRV measures were determined continuously every 5 min using continuous individualized multi-organ variability analysis (CIMVA). CIMVA creates an fHRV measures matrix across five signal-analytical domains, thus describing complementary properties of fHRV. Using principal component analysis (PCA), a widely used technique for dimensionality reduction, we derived and quantitatively compared the CIMVA fHRV PCA signatures of inflammatory response in LPS and control groups.In the LPS group, IL-6 peaked at 3 h. In parallel, PCA-derived fHRV composite measures revealed a significant difference between LPS and control group at different time points. For the LPS group, a sharp increase compared to baseline levels was observed between 3 h and 6 h, and then abating to baseline levels, thus tracking closely the IL-6 inflammatory profile. This pattern was not observed in the control group. We also show that a preselection of fHRV measures prior to the PCA can potentially increase the difference between LPS and control groups, as early as 1 h post LPS injection.We propose a fHRV composite measure that correlates well with levels of inflammation and tracks well its temporal profile. Our results highlight the potential role of HRV to study and monitor the

  13. Fetal responses to induced maternal relaxation during pregnancy

    OpenAIRE

    DiPietro, Janet A.; Costigan, Kathleen A.; Nelson, Priscilla; Gurewitsch, Edith D.; Laudenslager, Mark L.

    2007-01-01

    Fetal responses to induced maternal relaxation during the 32nd week of pregnancy were recorded in 100 maternal-fetal pairs using a digitized data collection system. The 18-minute guided imagery relaxation manipulation generated significant changes in maternal heart rate, skin conductance, respiration period, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia. Significant alterations in fetal neurobehavior were observed, including decreased fetal heart rate (FHR), increased FHR variability, suppression of fetal...

  14. Fetal body weight and the development of the control of the cardiovascular system in fetal sheep.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frasch, M G; Müller, T; Wicher, C; Weiss, C; Löhle, M; Schwab, K; Schubert, H; Nathanielsz, P W; Witte, O W; Schwab, M

    2007-03-15

    Reduced birth weight predisposes to cardiovascular diseases in later life. We examined in fetal sheep at 0.76 (n = 18) and 0.87 (n = 17) gestation whether spontaneously occurring variations in fetal weight affect maturation of autonomic control of cardiovascular function. Fetal weights at both gestational ages were grouped statistically in low (LW) and normal weights (NW) (P fetal sheep not constituting a major malnutritive condition. Mean fetal blood pressure (FBP) of all fetuses was negatively correlated to fetal weight at 0.76 but not 0.87 gestation (P fetal heart rate depended on fetal weight (P fetal weight within the normal weight span is accompanied by a different trajectory of development of sympathetic blood pressure and vagal heart rate control. This may contribute to the development of elevated blood pressure in later life. Examination of the underlying mechanisms and consequences may contribute to the understanding of programming of cardiovascular diseases.

  15. Neurodevelopmental Outcome in Children after Fetal Cardiac Intervention for Aortic Stenosis with Evolving Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laraja, Kristin; Sadhwani, Anjali; Tworetzky, Wayne; Marshall, Audrey C; Gauvreau, Kimberlee; Freud, Lindsay; Hass, Cara; Dunbar-Masterson, Carolyn; Ware, Janice; Lafranchi, Terra; Wilkins-Haug, Louise; Newburger, Jane W

    2017-05-01

    To characterize neurodevelopmental outcomes after fetal aortic valvuloplasty for evolving hypoplastic left heart syndrome and determine the risk factors for adverse neurodevelopment. Questionnaires were mailed to families of children who underwent fetal aortic valvuloplasty from 2000 to 2012, and medical records were reviewed retrospectively. The primary outcome was the General Adaptive Composite score of the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System Questionnaire-Second Edition. Other questionnaires included the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Ages and Stages, and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory. Among 69 eligible subjects, 52 (75%) completed questionnaires at median age of 5.5 (range 1.3-12) years; 30 (58%) had biventricular status circulation. The General Adaptive Composite mean score (92 ± 17) was lower than population norms (P neurodevelopmental questionnaires (Behavior Assessment System for Children, Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Ages and Stages, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory), most subscale scores for patients with biventricular and single ventricular status were similar. Children who underwent fetal aortic valvuloplasty have neurodevelopmental delay, similar to patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome without fetal intervention. Achievement of biventricular circulation was not associated with better outcomes. We infer that innate patient factors and morbidity during infancy have the greatest effect on neurodevelopmental outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Frecuencia cardiaca y movimientos fetales posterior a la administracion de betametasona para maduración pulmonar fetal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yolima Ruiz Lopez

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available El objetivo de la investigación fue demostrar las modificaciones de la frecuencia cardiaca y los movimientos fetales producidas por la administración de betametasona para maduración pulmonar fetal. Se realizó una investigación de tipo explicativa, prospectiva y longitudinal con un diseño cuasi-experimental y una muestra no probabilística de 106 gestantes entre 24 y 34 semanas, con diagnóstico de amenaza de parto pretérmino tratadas con betametasona (12 mg intramuscular cada 24 horas por dos dosis que acudieron al Hospital Central “Dr. Urquinaona”. Se evaluaron los movimientos fetales y frecuencia cardiaca materna y fetal. No se encontraron diferencias significativas en la frecuencia cardiaca materna comparado con los valores iniciales (p = ns. Se observó que el valor inicial de la frecuencia cardiaca fetal fue de 135,1±9,7 latidos por minuto para aumentar luego a 137,2±8,9 latidos por minuto (p = ns para presentar un nuevo aumento hasta (142,9±9,9 latidos por minuto que fue significativo comparado con los valores iniciales (p < 0,05. Se observó una disminución significativa de movimientos fetales medidos en 30 minutos después de la primera inyección (23,1±6,0 movimientos comparado con 14,8±7,0 movimientos, para aumentar después de la segunda inyección pero aun presentando valores significativamente más bajos comparado con los valores iniciales (20,0 ±6,7 movimientos; p < 0,05. Se concluye que la administración de betametasona para maduración pulmonar fetal produce incremento significativo en la frecuencia cardiaca y reducción marcada de los movimientos fetales. Abstract Fetal heart rate and movements after betamethasone administration for fetal lung maturity The objective of research was to demonstrate fetal heart rate and movements modifications by the use of betamethasone for fetal lung maturity. An explicative, prospective and longitudinal research was done with a quasi-experimental design and a non

  17. Studies in Fetal Behavior: Revisited, Renewed, and Reimagined

    Science.gov (United States)

    DiPietro, Janet A.; Costigan, Kathleen A.; Voegtline, Kristin M.

    2016-01-01

    Among the earliest volumes of this Monograph series was a report by Lester Sontag and colleagues, of the esteemed Fels Institute, on the heart rate of the human fetus as an expression of the developing nervous system. Here, some 75 years later, we commemorate this work and provide historical and contemporary context on knowledge regarding fetal development, as well as results from our own research. These are based on synchronized monitoring of maternal and fetal parameters assessed between 24 and 36 weeks gestation on 740 maternal-fetal pairs compiled from eight separate longitudinal studies, which commenced in the early 1990s. Data include maternal heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and electrodermal activity and fetal heart rate, motor activity, and their integration. Hierarchical linear modeling of developmental trajectories reveals that the fetus develops in predictable ways consistent with advancing parasympathetic regulation. Findings also include: within-fetus stability (i.e., preservation of rank ordering over time) for heart rate, motor, and coupling measures; a transitional period of decelerating development near 30 weeks gestation; sex differences in fetal heart rate measures but not in most fetal motor activity measures; modest correspondence in fetal neurodevelopment among siblings as compared to unrelated fetuses; and deviations from normative fetal development in fetuses affected by intrauterine growth restriction and other conditions. Maternal parameters also change during this period of gestation and there is evidence that fetal sex and individual variation in fetal neurobehavior influence maternal physiological processes and the local intrauterine context. Results are discussed within the framework of neuromaturation, the emergence of individual differences, and the bidirectional nature of the maternal-fetal relationship. We pose a number of open questions for future research. Although the human fetus remains just out of reach, new

  18. Temporal Patterns in Sheep Fetal Heart Rate Variability Correlate to Systemic Cytokine Inflammatory Response: A Methodological Exploration of Monitoring Potential Using Complex Signals Bioinformatics.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christophe L Herry

    Full Text Available Fetal inflammation is associated with increased risk for postnatal organ injuries. No means of early detection exist. We hypothesized that systemic fetal inflammation leads to distinct alterations of fetal heart rate variability (fHRV. We tested this hypothesis deploying a novel series of approaches from complex signals bioinformatics. In chronically instrumented near-term fetal sheep, we induced an inflammatory response with lipopolysaccharide (LPS injected intravenously (n = 10 observing it over 54 hours; seven additional fetuses served as controls. Fifty-one fHRV measures were determined continuously every 5 minutes using Continuous Individualized Multi-organ Variability Analysis (CIMVA. CIMVA creates an fHRV measures matrix across five signal-analytical domains, thus describing complementary properties of fHRV. We implemented, validated and tested methodology to obtain a subset of CIMVA fHRV measures that matched best the temporal profile of the inflammatory cytokine IL-6. In the LPS group, IL-6 peaked at 3 hours. For the LPS, but not control group, a sharp increase in standardized difference in variability with respect to baseline levels was observed between 3 h and 6 h abating to baseline levels, thus tracking closely the IL-6 inflammatory profile. We derived fHRV inflammatory index (FII consisting of 15 fHRV measures reflecting the fetal inflammatory response with prediction accuracy of 90%. Hierarchical clustering validated the selection of 14 out of 15 fHRV measures comprising FII. We developed methodology to identify a distinctive subset of fHRV measures that tracks inflammation over time. The broader potential of this bioinformatics approach is discussed to detect physiological responses encoded in HRV measures.

  19. Center for Fetal Monkey Gene Transfer for Heart, Lung, and Blood Diseases: An NHLBI Resource for the Gene Therapy Community

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skarlatos, Sonia I.

    2012-01-01

    Abstract The goals of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Center for Fetal Monkey Gene Transfer for Heart, Lung, and Blood Diseases are to conduct gene transfer studies in monkeys to evaluate safety and efficiency; and to provide NHLBI-supported investigators with expertise, resources, and services to actively pursue gene transfer approaches in monkeys in their research programs. NHLBI-supported projects span investigators throughout the United States and have addressed novel approaches to gene delivery; “proof-of-principle”; assessed whether findings in small-animal models could be demonstrated in a primate species; or were conducted to enable new grant or IND submissions. The Center for Fetal Monkey Gene Transfer for Heart, Lung, and Blood Diseases successfully aids the gene therapy community in addressing regulatory barriers, and serves as an effective vehicle for advancing the field. PMID:22974119

  20. 21 CFR 884.2900 - Fetal stethoscope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Fetal stethoscope. 884.2900 Section 884.2900 Food... Fetal stethoscope. (a) Identification. A fetal stethoscope is a device used for listening to fetal heart... conventional stethoscopes. (b) Classification. Class I (general controls). The device is exempt from the...

  1. Improving Interprofessional Consistency in Electronic Fetal Heart Rate Interpretation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Govindappagari, Shravya; Zaghi, Sahar; Zannat, Ferdous; Reimers, Laura; Goffman, Dena; Kassel, Irene; Bernstein, Peter S

    2016-07-01

    Objective To determine if mandatory online training in electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) improved agreement in documentation between obstetric care providers and nurses on labor and delivery. Methods Health care professionals working in obstetrics at our institution were required to complete a course on EFM interpretation. We performed a retrospective chart review of 701 charts including patients delivered before and after the introduction of the course to evaluate agreement among providers in their documentation of their interpretations of the EFM tracings. Results Agreement between provider and nurse documentation at the time of admission improved for variability and accelerations (variability: 91.1 vs. 98.3%, p < 0.001; and accelerations: 75.2 vs. 87.7%, p < 0.001). Similarly, agreement improved at the time of the last note prior to delivery for documentation of variability and accelerations (variability: 82.1 vs. 90.6%, p = 0.001; and accelerations: 56.7 vs. 68.6%, p = 0.0012). Agreement in interpretation of decelerations both at the time of admission and at the time of delivery increased (86.3 vs. 90.6%, p = 0.0787, and 56.7 vs. 61.1%, p = 0.2314, respectively) but was not significant. Conclusion An online EFM course can significantly improve consistency in multidisciplinary documentation of fetal heart rate tracing interpretation. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

  2. Acceleration and deceleration capacity of fetal heart rate in an in-vivo sheep model.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Massimo W Rivolta

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Fetal heart rate (FHR variability is an indirect index of fetal autonomic nervous system (ANS integrity. FHR variability analysis in labor fails to detect early hypoxia and acidemia. Phase-rectified signal averaging (PRSA is a new method of complex biological signals analysis that is more resistant to non-stationarities, signal loss and artifacts. It quantifies the average cardiac acceleration and deceleration (AC/DC capacity. OBJECTIVE: The aims of the study were: (1 to investigate AC/DC in ovine fetuses exposed to acute hypoxic-acidemic insult; (2 to explore the relation between AC/DC and acid-base balance; and (3 to evaluate the influence of FHR decelerations and specific PRSA parameters on AC/DC computation. METHODS: Repetitive umbilical cord occlusions (UCOs were applied in 9 pregnant near-term sheep to obtain three phases of MILD, MODERATE, and SEVERE hypoxic-acidemic insult. Acid-base balance was sampled and fetal ECGs continuously recorded. AC/DC were calculated: (1 for a spectrum of T values (T = 1÷50 beats; the parameter limits the range of oscillations detected by PRSA; (2 on entire series of fetal RR intervals or on "stable" series that excluded FHR decelerations caused by UCOs. RESULTS: AC and DC progressively increased with UCOs phases (MILD vs. MODERATE and MODERATE vs. SEVERE, p<0.05 for DC [Formula: see text] = 2-5, and AC [Formula: see text] = 1-3. The time evolution of AC/DC correlated to acid-base balance (0.4<[Formula: see text]<0.9, p<0.05 with the highest [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text]. PRSA was not independent from FHR decelerations caused by UCOs. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first in-vivo evaluation of PRSA on FHR analysis. In the presence of acute hypoxic-acidemia we found increasing values of AC/DC suggesting an activation of ANS. This correlation was strongest on time scale dominated by parasympathetic modulations. We identified the best performing [Formula: see text] parameters

  3. Assessment of congenital heart disease (CHD): Is there a role for fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Manganaro, L. [Department of Radiological Sciences, UMBERTO I Hospital, SAPIENZA University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome (Italy); Savelli, S. [Department of Radiological Sciences, UMBERTO I Hospital, SAPIENZA University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome (Italy)], E-mail: sarasavelli@hotmail.it; Di Maurizio, M.; Perrone, A.; Francioso, A.; La Barbera, L.; Totaro, P.; Fierro, F.; Tomei, A.; Coratella, F. [Department of Radiological Sciences, UMBERTO I Hospital, SAPIENZA University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome (Italy); Giancotti, A. [Department of Gynaecological Sciences, UMBERTO I Hospital, SAPIENZA University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome (Italy); Ballesio, L. [Department of Radiological Sciences, UMBERTO I Hospital, SAPIENZA University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome (Italy); Ventriglia, F. [Department of Pediatric Cardiology, UMBERTO I Hospital, SAPIENZA University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome (Italy)

    2009-10-15

    Purpose: To review our experience with fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate congenital heart disease (CHD). Methods: We performed fetal MRI in 32 fetuses with an echocardiographically assessed CHD. Both direct and indirect signs of CHD were investigated. Direct signs considered were: morpho-volumetric abnormalities of the heart; malrotations; ventricular and atrial septal defects; anomalies of the origin, size and course of the great arteries. Indirect signs considered were: difficulty to recognize a 'normal' anatomical structures in the reference projections; increase of the vascular size before a stenosis; hypertrophy of the papillary muscles; cardiomegaly and pericardial effusion. All MRI findings were compared with postnatal or autoptic findings. Results: MRI allowed the CHD to be visualised by direct signs in 17 fetuses, indirect signs in 5 and both direct and indirect signs in 9 fetuses, excluding the prenatal echocardiographic suspect of hypoplastic left heart syndrome in 1 fetus. Postnatal echocardiograms or autoptic findings confirmed a normal heart in 1 fetus and CHD in 31 fetuses including a single cardiac anomaly or syndrome in 19 fetuses, 2 associated cardiac abnormalities in 11 and 3 cardiac anomalies in 1 fetus. However, in 2 fetuses MRI detected a ventricular septal defect successively disclosed by gold standard. Conclusions: MRI is a promising method for further assessment of the cardiovascular pathologies diagnosed by echocardiography, and may be a valuable tool in assessing associated extracardiac anomalies.

  4. Three- and four-dimensional ultrasound in fetal echocardiography: an up-to-date overview

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Adriaanse, B.M.; Vugt, J.M.G. van; Haak, M.C.

    2016-01-01

    Congenital heart diseases (CHD) are the most commonly overlooked lesions in prenatal screening programs. Real-time two-dimensional ultrasound (2DUS) is the conventionally used tool for fetal echocardiography. Although continuous improvements in the hardware and post-processing software have resulted

  5. Treatment with oral beta-blockers during pregnancy complicated by maternal heart disease increases the risk of fetal growth restriction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ersbøll, A S; Hedegaard, M; Søndergaard, L

    2014-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect on fetal growth of treatment with oral beta-blockers during pregnancy in women with congenital or acquired heart disease. DESIGN: Historical matched cohort study. SETTING: Centre for Pregnant Women with Heart Disease, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark....... POPULATION: A cohort of 175 women with heart disease, grouped according to beta-blocker treatment, and a cohort of 627 women from the overall population matched on seven birthweight-determining factors. METHODS: Differences between groups were tested by simple descriptive statistics and assessed using...

  6. Fetal cardiac assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greene, K.R.

    1983-01-01

    The better understanding of fetal cardiovascular physiology coupled with improved technology for non-invasive study of the fetus now enable much more detailed assessment of fetal cardiac status than by heart rate alone. Even the latter, relatively simple, measurement contains much more information than was previously realized. It is also increasingly clear that no single measurement will provide the answer to all clinical dilemmas either on cardiac function or the welfare of the fetus as a whole. There are obvious clinical advantages in measuring several variables from one signal and the measurement of heart rate, heart rate variation and waveform from the ECG in labour is a potentially useful combination. Systolic time intervals or flow measurements could easily be added or used separately by combining real-time and Doppler ultrasound probes

  7. Fetal responses to induced maternal relaxation during pregnancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DiPietro, Janet A; Costigan, Kathleen A; Nelson, Priscilla; Gurewitsch, Edith D; Laudenslager, Mark L

    2008-01-01

    Fetal responses to induced maternal relaxation during the 32nd week of pregnancy were recorded in 100 maternal-fetal pairs using a digitized data collection system. The 18-min guided imagery relaxation manipulation generated significant changes in maternal heart rate, skin conductance, respiration period, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia. Significant alterations in fetal neurobehavior were observed, including decreased fetal heart rate (FHR), increased FHR variability, suppression of fetal motor activity (FM), and increased FM-FHR coupling. Attribution of the two fetal cardiac responses to the guided imagery procedure itself, as opposed to simple rest or recumbency, is tempered by the observed pattern of response. Evaluation of correspondence between changes within individual maternal-fetal pairs revealed significant associations between maternal autonomic measures and fetal cardiac patterns, lower umbilical and uterine artery resistance and increased FHR variability, and declining salivary cortisol and FM activity. Potential mechanisms that may mediate the observed results are discussed.

  8. Novel Models to Study Effect of High-Altitude Hypoxic Exposure and Placental Insufficiency on Fetal Oxygen Metabolism and Congenital Heart Defects

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-10-01

    Metabolism and Congenital Heart Defects PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Steven Fisher, MD RECIPIENT: University of Maryland, Baltimore REPORT DATE...examined in fetal heart vs other tissues. Pregnant ODD-Luc dams age 3-6 months will inhale O2 concentrations ranging from 8-21% O2 x 4 h...Congenital Heart Defects in at-risk pregnancies. The first objective was to use a novel reporter of O2 concentrations, the ODDLuc mouse, to determine the

  9. Decreased mechanical properties of heart valve tissue constructs cultured in platelet lysate as compared to fetal bovine serum

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Geemen, van D.; Riem Vis, P.W.; Soekhradj - Soechit, R.S.; Sluijter, J.P.G.; Liefde - van Beest, de M.; Kluin, J.; Bouten, C.V.C.

    2011-01-01

    In autologous heart valve tissue engineering, there is an ongoing search for alternatives of fetal bovine serum (FBS). Human platelet-lysate (PL) might be a promising substitute. In the present article, we aimed to examine the tissue formation, functionality, and mechanical properties of engineered

  10. Fetal motion estimation from noninvasive cardiac signal recordings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biglari, Hadis; Sameni, Reza

    2016-11-01

    Fetal motility is a widely accepted indicator of the well-being of a fetus. In previous research, it has be shown that fetal motion (FM) is coherent with fetal heart rate accelerations and an indicator for active/rest cycles of the fetus. The most common approach for FM and fetal heart rate (FHR) assessment is by Doppler ultrasound (DUS). While DUS is the most common approach for studying the mechanical activities of the heart, noninvasive fetal electrocardiogram (ECG) and magnetocardiogram (MCG) recording and processing techniques have been considered as a possible competitor (or complement) for the DUS. In this study, a fully automatic and robust framework is proposed for the extraction, ranking and alignment of fetal QRS-complexes from noninvasive fetal ECG/MCG. Using notions from subspace tracking, two measures, namely the actogram and rotatogram, are defined for fetal motion tracking. The method is applied to four fetal ECG/MCG databases, including twin MCG recordings. By defining a novel measure of causality, it is shown that there is significant coherency and causal relationship between the actogram/rotatogram and FHR accelerations/decelerations. Using this measure, it is shown that in many cases, the actogram and rotatogram precede the FHR variations, which supports the idea of motion-induced FHR accelerations/decelerations for these cases and raises attention for the non-motion-induced FHR variations, which can be associated to the fetal central nervous system developments. The results of this study can lead to novel perspectives of the fetal sympathetic and parasympathetic brain systems and future requirements of fetal cardiac monitoring.

  11. Fetal short time variation during labor: a non-invasive alternative to fetal scalp pH measurements?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schiermeier, Sven; Reinhard, Joscha; Hatzmann, Hendrike; Zimmermann, Ralf C; Westhof, Gregor

    2009-01-01

    To determine whether short time variation (STV) of fetal heart beat correlates with scalp pH measurements during labor. From 1279 deliveries, 197 women had at least one fetal scalp pH measurement. Using the CTG-Player, STVs were calculated from the electronically saved cardiotocography (CTG) traces and related to the fetal scalp pH measurements. There was no correlation between STV and fetal scalp pH measurements (r=-0.0592). Fetal STV is an important parameter with high sensitivity for antenatal fetal acidosis. This study shows that STV calculations do not correlate with fetal scalp pH measurements during labor, hence are not helpful in identifying fetal acidosis.

  12. Fetal short time variation during labor: a non-invasive alternative to fetal scalp pH measurements?

    OpenAIRE

    Schiermeier, Sven; Reinhard, Joscha; Hatzmann, Hendrike; Zimmermann, Ralf C.; Westhof, Gregor

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To determine whether short time variation (STV) of fetal heart beat correlates with scalp pH measurements during labor. Patients and methods: From 1279 deliveries, 197 women had at least one fetal scalp pH measurement. Using the CTG-Player®, STVs were calculated from the electronically saved cardiotocography (CTG) traces and related to the fetal scalp pH measurements. Results: There was no correlation between STV and fetal scalp pH measurements (r=−0.0592). Conclusions: Fetal ST...

  13. Feature selection using genetic algorithms for fetal heart rate analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Liang; Redman, Christopher W G; Georgieva, Antoniya; Payne, Stephen J

    2014-01-01

    The fetal heart rate (FHR) is monitored on a paper strip (cardiotocogram) during labour to assess fetal health. If necessary, clinicians can intervene and assist with a prompt delivery of the baby. Data-driven computerized FHR analysis could help clinicians in the decision-making process. However, selecting the best computerized FHR features that relate to labour outcome is a pressing research problem. The objective of this study is to apply genetic algorithms (GA) as a feature selection method to select the best feature subset from 64 FHR features and to integrate these best features to recognize unfavourable FHR patterns. The GA was trained on 404 cases and tested on 106 cases (both balanced datasets) using three classifiers, respectively. Regularization methods and backward selection were used to optimize the GA. Reasonable classification performance is shown on the testing set for the best feature subset (Cohen's kappa values of 0.45 to 0.49 using different classifiers). This is, to our knowledge, the first time that a feature selection method for FHR analysis has been developed on a database of this size. This study indicates that different FHR features, when integrated, can show good performance in predicting labour outcome. It also gives the importance of each feature, which will be a valuable reference point for further studies. (paper)

  14. Fetal heart rate patterns in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy: relationship with early cerebral activity and neurodevelopmental outcome.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Murray, Deirdre M

    2009-09-01

    Despite widespread use of fetal heart rate monitoring, the timing of injury in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) remains unclear. Our aim was to examine fetal heart rate patterns during labor in infants with clinical and electroencephalographic (EEG) evidence of HIE and to relate these findings to neurodevelopmental outcome. Timing of onset of pathological cardiotocographs (CTGs) was determined in each case by two blinded reviewers and related to EEG grade at birth and neurological outcome at 24 months. CTGs were available in 35 infants with HIE (17 mild, 12 moderate, 6 severe on EEG). Admission CTGs were normal in 24\\/35 (69%), suspicious in 8\\/35 (23%), and pathological in 3\\/35 (8%). All CTGs developed nonreassuring features prior to delivery. Three patterns of fetal heart rate abnormalities were seen: group 1, abnormal CTGs on admission in 11\\/35 (31%); group 2, normal CTGs on admission with gradual deterioration to pathological in 20\\/35 cases (57%); and group 3, normal CTGs on admission with acute sentinel events in 4\\/35 (11.5%). The median (interquartile range) duration between the development of pathological CTGs and delivery was 145 (81, 221) minutes in group 2 and 22 (12, 28) minutes in group 3. There was no correlation between duration of pathological CTG trace and grade of encephalopathy (R = 0.09, P = 0.63) or neurological outcome (P = 0.75). However, the grade of encephalopathy was significantly worse in group 3 (P = 0.001), with a trend to worse outcomes. The majority of infants with HIE have normal CTG traces on admission but develop pathological CTG patterns within hours of delivery. More severe encephalopathy was associated with normal admission CTG and acute sentinel events shortly before delivery.

  15. Fetal heart rate patterns in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy: relationship with early cerebral activity and neurodevelopmental outcome.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Murray, Deirdre M

    2012-01-31

    Despite widespread use of fetal heart rate monitoring, the timing of injury in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) remains unclear. Our aim was to examine fetal heart rate patterns during labor in infants with clinical and electroencephalographic (EEG) evidence of HIE and to relate these findings to neurodevelopmental outcome. Timing of onset of pathological cardiotocographs (CTGs) was determined in each case by two blinded reviewers and related to EEG grade at birth and neurological outcome at 24 months. CTGs were available in 35 infants with HIE (17 mild, 12 moderate, 6 severe on EEG). Admission CTGs were normal in 24\\/35 (69%), suspicious in 8\\/35 (23%), and pathological in 3\\/35 (8%). All CTGs developed nonreassuring features prior to delivery. Three patterns of fetal heart rate abnormalities were seen: group 1, abnormal CTGs on admission in 11\\/35 (31%); group 2, normal CTGs on admission with gradual deterioration to pathological in 20\\/35 cases (57%); and group 3, normal CTGs on admission with acute sentinel events in 4\\/35 (11.5%). The median (interquartile range) duration between the development of pathological CTGs and delivery was 145 (81, 221) minutes in group 2 and 22 (12, 28) minutes in group 3. There was no correlation between duration of pathological CTG trace and grade of encephalopathy (R = 0.09, P = 0.63) or neurological outcome (P = 0.75). However, the grade of encephalopathy was significantly worse in group 3 (P = 0.001), with a trend to worse outcomes. The majority of infants with HIE have normal CTG traces on admission but develop pathological CTG patterns within hours of delivery. More severe encephalopathy was associated with normal admission CTG and acute sentinel events shortly before delivery.

  16. Two-dimensional sonographic cine imaging improves confidence in the initial evaluation of the fetal heart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poole, Patricia Sims; Chung, Romy; Lacoursiere, Yvette; Palmieri, Carolina Rossi; Hull, Andrew; Engelkemier, Dawn; Rochelle, Michele; Trivedi, Neha; Pretorius, Dolores H

    2013-06-01

    Initial screening sonography of the fetal heart with static images is often inadequate, resulting in repeated imaging or failure to detect abnormalities. We hypothesized that the addition of short cine clips would reduce the need for repeated imaging. Two-dimensional (2D) static sonograms and short 2D cine clips of the 4-chamber view and left and right ventricular outflow tracts were obtained from 342 patients with gestational ages of greater than 16 weeks. A diagnostic radiologist and a perinatologist retrospectively reviewed the static and cine images independently and graded them as normal, abnormal, or suboptimal. A statistically significant increase in the number of structures called normal was seen when 2D cine clips were added to static imaging for both observers (P cine images versus 61.9% with static images alone, whereas the perinatologist recorded 68.1% as normal versus 58.8%, respectively. The radiologist called 77.8% of structures normal with cine images only versus 61.9% with static images only (P cine images alone (38.9%) versus static images alone (58.8%). The use of cine loops alone resulted in no significant increase in the ability to clear the heart as normal. The maternal body mass index was inversely associated with the ability to clear structures when 2D cine images were added to static images (P cine clips to standard 2D static imaging of the fetal heart significantly improves the number of structures cleared as normal. Two-dimensional cine clips are easily obtained, add little time to a study, and require minimal archival space.

  17. Antepartum Fetal Monitoring through a Wearable System and a Mobile Application

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria G. Signorini

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Prenatal monitoring of Fetal Heart Rate (FHR is crucial for the prevention of fetal pathologies and unfavorable deliveries. However, the most commonly used Cardiotocographic exam can be performed only in hospital-like structures and requires the supervision of expert personnel. For this reason, a wearable system able to continuously monitor FHR would be a noticeable step towards a personalized and remote pregnancy care. Thanks to textile electrodes, miniaturized electronics, and smart devices like smartphones and tablets, we developed a wearable integrated system for everyday fetal monitoring during the last weeks of pregnancy. Pregnant women at home can use it without the need for any external support by clinicians. The transmission of FHR to a specialized medical center allows its remote analysis, exploiting advanced algorithms running on high-performance hardware able to obtain the best classification of the fetal condition. The system has been tested on a limited set of pregnant women whose fetal electrocardiogram recordings were acquired and classified, yielding an overall score for both accuracy and sensitivity over 90%. This novel approach can open a new perspective on the continuous monitoring of fetus development by enhancing the performance of regular examinations, making treatments really personalized, and reducing hospitalization or ambulatory visits.

  18. Maternal methadone dosing schedule and fetal neurobehavior

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jansson, Lauren M.; DiPietro, Janet A.; Velez, Martha; Elko, Andrea; Knauer, Heather; Kivlighan, Katie T.

    2008-01-01

    Objective Daily methadone maintenance is the standard of care for opiate dependency during pregnancy. Previous research has indicated that single-dose maternal methadone administration significantly suppresses fetal neurobehaviors. The purpose of this study was to determine if split-dosing would have less impact on fetal neurobehavior than single-dose administration. Methods Forty methadone-maintained women were evaluated at peak and trough maternal methadone levels on single- and split-dosing schedules. Monitoring sessions occurred at 36 and 37 weeks gestation in a counterbalanced study design. Fetal measures included heart rate, variability, accelerations, motor activity and fetal movement-heart rate coupling (FM-FHR). Maternal measures included heart period, variability, skin conductance, respiration and vagal tone. Repeated measure analysis of variance was used to evaluate within-subject changes between split- and single-dosing regimens. Results All fetal neurobehavioral parameters were suppressed by maternal methadone administration, regardless of dosing regimen. Fetal parameters at peak were significantly lower during single vs. split methadone administration. FM-FHR coupling was less suppressed from trough to peak during split-dosing vs. single-dosing. Maternal physiologic parameters were generally unaffected by dosing condition. Conclusion Split- dosed fetuses displayed less neurobehavioral suppression from trough to peak maternal methadone levels as compared to single-dosed fetuses. Split-dosing may be beneficial for methadone-maintained pregnant women. PMID:19085624

  19. The Effects of Maternal Opium Abuse on Fetal Heart Rate using Non-Stress Test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keikha, Fatemeh; Vahdani, Fahimeh Ghotbizadeh; Latifi, Sahar

    2016-11-01

    Opium is one of the most commonly abused opiates in developing countries including Iran. Considering the importance of maternal health on the newborn, we aimed to assess the effect of opium abuse on fetal heart rate (FHR) characteristics in a sample of pregnant women in Zahedan, Southeast Iran. This cross-sectional study was done on 100 pregnant women referring to Ali-Ibn-Abi Talib Hospital in Zahedan, during 2011-2013. The participants were divided into two groups comprising of opium abusers and healthy individuals. The participants received 500cc intravenous fluid containing dextrose and then non-stress test results were recorded for 20 minutes. We found no significant difference between the two groups with respect to their demographic characteristics. Fetal movements, variability, acceleration, and reactivity were significantly higher among addicted women (Popium abusers compared with the healthy women. Abnormal variability or oscillations of opium abuser group, mothers addicted to opium need specific prenatal care.

  20. Clinical implications from monitoring fetal activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rayburn, W F

    1982-12-15

    The monitoring of fetal motion in high-risk pregnancies has been shown to be worthwhile in predicting fetal distress and impending fetal death. The maternal recording of perceived fetal activity is an inexpensive surveillance technique which is most useful when there is chronic uteroplacental insufficiency or when a stillbirth may be expected. The presence of an active, vigorous fetus is reassuring, but documented fetal inactivity required a reassessment of the underlying antepartum complication and further fetal evaluation with real-time ultrasonography, fetal heart rate testing, and biochemical testing. Fetal distress from such acute changes as abruptio placentae or umbilical cord compression may not be predicted by monitoring fetal motion. Although not used for routine clinical investigation, electromechanical devices such as tocodynamometry have provided much insight into fetal behavioral patterns at many stages of pregnancy and in pregnancies with an antepartum complication.

  1. Fetal and neonatal thyrotoxicosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Batra, Chandar Mohan

    2013-01-01

    Fetal thyrotoxicosis is a rare disease occurring in 1 out of 70 pregnancies with Grave's disease or in 1 out of 4000-50,000 deliveries. The mortality is 12-20%, usually from heart failure, but other complications are tracheal compression, infections and thrombocytopenia. It results from transfer of thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins from mother to fetus through the placenta. This transplacental transfer begins around 20th week of pregnancy and reaches its maximum by 30th week. These autoantibodies bind to the fetal thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) receptors and increase the secretion of the thyroid hormones. The mother has an active autoimmune thyroid disease or has been treated for it in the past. She may be absolutely euthyroid due to past treatment by drugs, surgery or radioiodine ablation, but still have active TSH receptor stimulating autoantibodies, which can cause fetal thyrotoxicosis. The other features of this disease are fetal tachycardia, fetal goiter and history of spontaneous abortions and findings of goiter, ascites, craniosyntosis, fetal growth retardation, maceration and hydrops at fetal autopsy. If untreated, this disease can result in intrauterine death. The treatment for this disease consists of giving carbimazole to the mother, which is transferred through the placenta to the fetus. The dose of carbimazole is titrated with the fetal heart rate. If the mother becomes hypothyroid due to carbimazole, thyroxine is added taking advantage of the fact that very little of thyroxine is transferred across the placenta. Neonatal thyrotoxicosis patients are very sick and require emergency treatment. The goal of the treatment is to normalize thyroid functions as quickly as possible, to avoid iatrogenic hypothyroidism while providing management and supportive therapy for the infant's specific signs and symptoms. PMID:24251220

  2. Maturation of the human fetal startle response: evidence for sex-specific maturation of the human fetus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buss, Claudia; Davis, Elysia Poggi; Class, Quetzal A; Gierczak, Matt; Pattillo, Carol; Glynn, Laura M; Sandman, Curt A

    2009-10-01

    Despite the evidence for early fetal experience exerting programming influences on later neurological development and health risk, very few prospective studies of human fetal behavior have been reported. In a prospective longitudinal study, fetal nervous system maturation was serially assessed by monitoring fetal heart rate (FHR) responses to vibroacoustic stimulation (VAS) in 191 maternal/fetal dyads. Responses were not detected at 26 weeks gestational age (GA). Sex-specific, age-characteristic changes in the FHR response to VAS were observed by 31 weeks' GA. Males showed larger responses and continued to exhibit maturational changes until 37 weeks' GA, females however, presented with a mature FHR startle response by 31 weeks' GA. The results indicate that there are different rates of maturation in the male and female fetuses that may have implications for sex-specific programming influences.

  3. Detection of congenital heart disease by fetal echocardiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fayyaz, A.; Majeed, S.M.I.

    2013-01-01

    Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and predictive value of fetal echocardiography in our set up using postnatal echocardiography as gold standard. Study Design: Validation study. Place and Duration of study: This is an ongoing study in the Radiology department of CMH Rawalpindi and Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) Rawalpindi and the data collected from January 2007 to Jan 2012 is presented. Patients and Methods: Two hundred eighty seven patients reported for fetal echocardiography. Two hundred twenty nine patients were subsequently included in the study. These included patients of all ages who reported to the Radiology department of CMH Rawalpindi for fetal echocardiography. Fetal echo was done on Toshiba Aplio with 3.5 MHz probe having Doppler facility. Post natal evaluation was done by a pediatric cardiologist. Results: There were 207 (90.4%) true negative cases, 15 (6.6%) true positive, 2 (0.9%) false positive and 6 (2.2%) false negative cases. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were 75%, 99%, 88%, 97% respectively. Conclusion: Fetal echocardiography has high specificity, negative predictive values and accuracy and cases diagnosed as normal can reassure the parents about the normal cardiac status of the fetus. (author)

  4. The "Fetal Reserve Index": Re-Engineering the Interpretation and Responses to Fetal Heart Rate Patterns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eden, Robert D; Evans, Mark I; Evans, Shara M; Schifrin, Barry S

    2018-01-01

    Electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) correlates poorly with neonatal outcome. We present a new metric: the "Fetal Reserve Index" (FRI), formally incorporating EFM with maternal, obstetrical, fetal risk factors, and excessive uterine activity for assessment of risk for cerebral palsy (CP). We performed a retrospective, case-control series of 50 term CP cases with apparent intrapartum neurological injury and 200 controls. All were deemed neurologically normal on admission. We compared the FRI against ACOG Category (I-III) system and long-term outcome parameters against ACOG monograph (NEACP) requirements for labor-induced fetal neurological injury. Abnormal FRI's identified 100% of CP cases and did so hours before injury. ACOG Category III identified only 44% and much later. Retrospective ACOG monograph criteria were found in at most 30% of intrapartum-acquired CP patients; only 27% had umbilical or neonatal pH <7.0. In this initial, retrospective trial, an abnormal FRI identified all cases of labor-related neurological injury more reliably and earlier than Category III, which may allow fetal therapy by intrauterine resuscitation. The combination of traditional EFM with maternal, obstetrical, and fetal risk factors creating the FRI performed much better as a screening test than EFM alone. Our quantified screening system needs further evaluation in prospective trials. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  5. Ethnic analogies and differences in fetal heart rate variability signal: A retrospective study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tagliaferri, Salvatore; Esposito, Francesca Giovanna; Fagioli, Rosa; Di Cresce, Marco; Sacchi, Lucia; Signorini, Maria Gabriella; Campanile, Marta; Martinelli, Pasquale; Magenes, Giovanni

    2017-02-01

    We aimed to analyze computerized cardiotocographic (cCTG) parameters (including fetal heart rate baseline, short-term variability, Delta, long-term irregularity [LTI], interval index [II], low frequency [LF], movement frequency [MF], high frequency [HF], and approximate entropy [ApEn]) in physiological term pregnancies in order to correlate them with ethnic differences. The clinical meaning of numerical parameters may explain physiological or paraphysiological phenomena that occur in fetuses of different ethnic origins. A total of 696 pregnant women, including 384 from Europe, 246 from sub-Saharan Africa, 45 from South-East Asia, and 21 from South America, were monitored from the 37th to the 41st week of gestation. Statistical analysis was performed with the analysis of variance test, Pearson correlation test and receiver-operator curves (P < 0.05). Our results showed statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) between white and black women for Delta, LTI, LF, MF, HF, and ApEn; between white and Asian women for Delta, LTI, MF, and the LF/(HF + MF) ratio; and between white and Latina women for Delta, LTI, and ApEn. In particular, Delta and LTI performed better in the white group than in the black, Asian, and Latina groups. Instead, LF, MF, HF, and ApEn performed better in the black than in the white group. Our results confirmed the integrity and normal functionality of both central and autonomic nervous system components for all fetuses investigated. Therefore, CTG monitoring should include both linear and nonlinear components of fetal heart rate variability in order to avoid misinterpretations of the CTG trace among ethnic groups. © 2016 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

  6. Application of ultrasound in fetal cardiac abnormalitis screening and analyzing of influencing factors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Wei; Chen Hui; Guo Hua; Fu Lijuan

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To identify the application value of ultrasound in the screening of fetal cardiac abnormalities and to reduce its affecting factors, in order to maximally decrease the birth of oaf. Methods: Adopting the method of four chamber hearts cross-section and sound beam plane head laterodeviation, 3821 fetal hearts were screened by ultrasonocardiography in middle and late fetal period. The influencing factors were also analyzed. Screening results were compared with the autopsy following induced labor and the ultrasonocardiogram after borne. Results: Total 23 cases of the cardiac anomalies were confirmed by odinopoeia or after borned, 21 cases were diagnosed by antepartum ultrasonocardiography, the detectable rate were 91.3%(21/23). And the complex cardiac anomalies were 19 cases, accounted for 82.61%(19/23), the general malformation were 4 cases, accounted for 17.39%(4/23). In 19 cases of the complex anomalies, 17 cases were diagnosed by antepartum examination in the first time, 2 cases were diagnosed by reexamination, the total detectable rate were 100%(19/19). Conclusion: Ultrasonography is not only non-invasive but also unique method in detecting fetal heart defects. It will help to diagnose definitely the vast majority of congenital malformation in the fetal heart, especially complex malformation in the middle and later fetal period. There are some limitations and chronergy in ultrasonography for the screening of fetal heart defects, which should be followed-up when the fetal appeared 'normal' in the early screening. (authors)

  7. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for fetal oxygenation during maternal hypoxia: initial results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wedegaertner, U.; Adam, G.; Tchirikov, M.; Schroeder, H.; Koch, M.

    2002-01-01

    Purpose: To investigate the potential of fMRI to measure changes in fetal tissue oxygenation during acute maternal hypoxia in fetal lambs. Material and Methods: Two ewes carrying singleton fetuses (gestational age 125 and 131 days) underwent MR imaging under inhalation anesthesia. BOLD imaging of the fetal brain, liver and myocardium was performed during acute maternal hypoxia (oxygen replaced by N 2 O). Maternal oxygen saturation and heart rate were monitored by a pulse-oxymeter attached to the maternal tongue. Results: Changes of fetal tissue oxygenation during maternal hypoxia were clearly visible with BOLD MRI. Signal intensity decreases were more distinct in liver and heart (∝40%) from control than in the fetal brain (∝10%). Conclusions: fMRI is a promising diagnostic tool to determine fetal tissue oxygenation and may open new opportunities in monitoring fetal well being in high risk pregnancies complicated by uteroplacentar insufficiency. Different signal changes in liver/heart and brain may reflect a centralization of the fetal blood flow. (orig.) [de

  8. Automatic evaluation of intrapartum fetal heart rate recordings: a comprehensive analysis of useful features.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chudáček, V; Spilka, J; Janků, P; Koucký, M; Lhotská, L; Huptych, M

    2011-08-01

    Cardiotocography is the monitoring of fetal heart rate (FHR) and uterine contractions (TOCO), used routinely since the 1960s by obstetricians to detect fetal hypoxia. The evaluation of the FHR in clinical settings is based on an evaluation of macroscopic morphological features and so far has managed to avoid adopting any achievements from the HRV research field. In this work, most of the features utilized for FHR characterization, including FIGO, HRV, nonlinear, wavelet, and time and frequency domain features, are investigated and assessed based on their statistical significance in the task of distinguishing the FHR into three FIGO classes. We assess the features on a large data set (552 records) and unlike in other published papers we use three-class expert evaluation of the records instead of the pH values. We conclude the paper by presenting the best uncorrelated features and their individual rank of importance according to the meta-analysis of three different ranking methods. The number of accelerations and decelerations, interval index, as well as Lempel-Ziv complexity and Higuchi's fractal dimension are among the top five features.

  9. Automatic evaluation of intrapartum fetal heart rate recordings: a comprehensive analysis of useful features

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chudáček, V; Spilka, J; Lhotská, L; Huptych, M; Janků, P; Koucký, M

    2011-01-01

    Cardiotocography is the monitoring of fetal heart rate (FHR) and uterine contractions (TOCO), used routinely since the 1960s by obstetricians to detect fetal hypoxia. The evaluation of the FHR in clinical settings is based on an evaluation of macroscopic morphological features and so far has managed to avoid adopting any achievements from the HRV research field. In this work, most of the features utilized for FHR characterization, including FIGO, HRV, nonlinear, wavelet, and time and frequency domain features, are investigated and assessed based on their statistical significance in the task of distinguishing the FHR into three FIGO classes. We assess the features on a large data set (552 records) and unlike in other published papers we use three-class expert evaluation of the records instead of the pH values. We conclude the paper by presenting the best uncorrelated features and their individual rank of importance according to the meta-analysis of three different ranking methods. The number of accelerations and decelerations, interval index, as well as Lempel–Ziv complexity and Higuchi's fractal dimension are among the top five features

  10. Expert systems for fetal assessment in labour

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lutomski, J.E.; Meaney, S.; Greene, R.A.; Ryan, A.C.; Devane, D.

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Cardiotocography (CTG) records the fetal heart rate in relation to maternal uterine contractions and is one of the most common forms of fetal assessment during labour. Despite guidelines for CTG interpretation, substantial inter- and intra-observer variation in interpretation has been

  11. Freqüência Cardíaca Fetal durante o Primeiro Trimestre da Gestação Fetal Heart Rate in the First Trimester of Pregnancy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heverton Pettersen

    2001-10-01

    Full Text Available Objetivos: estabelecer curva de normalidade da freqüência cardíaca fetal (FCF entre a 10ª e a 14ª semana de gestação. Métodos: a FCF foi avaliada em 1078 fetos entre 10 e 14 semanas de gestação. Para uma melhor correlação da FCF com a idade gestacional, os fetos foram divididos em quatro grupos de acordo com a idade gestacional: Grupo I (10 semanas, Grupo II (11 semanas, Grupo III (12 semanas e Grupo IV (13 semanas. Por meio de corte sagital, o coração fetal foi visualizado e o registro da FCF foi realizado usando Modo-B e Modo-M em tempo real. Calculou-se a FCF média eletronicamente por meio da colocação dos cálipers que registravam 3 ciclos consecutivos. Resultados: a FCF variou entre 136 e 178 bpm entre os 1078 fetos estudados. Construiu-se uma curva de normalidade estabelecendo-se a mediana e os percentis 5 e 95 da FCF para cada grupo. No Grupo I a FCF variou de 158 a 184 bpm; no Grupo II, de 155 a 175 bpm; no Grupo III, de 152 a 172 bpm; no Grupo IV, de 149 a 168 bpm. Houve diminuição progressiva e significativa da FCF com o avanço da idade gestacional durante o período estudado. Conclusões: a avaliação da FCF no primeiro trimestre de gestação é um procedimento simples e que deve ser analisado não só na sua forma qualitativa (batimentos cardíacos fetais rítmicos mas também na sua forma quantitativa, já que trabalhos publicados mostram a sua relação com o prognóstico fetal.Purpose: to determine normal ranges for fetal heart rate (FHR between the 10th and 14th week of pregnancy. Methods: a total of 1078 fetuses within a crown-rump length (CRL from the 10th to the 14th week of pregnancy were evaluated. The fetuses were divided into 4 groups: Group I (10 weeks, Group II (11 weeks, Group III (12 weeks, Group IV (13 weeks. The fetal heart was seen using B-mode/M-mode at a sagital plane and FHR was recorded. FHR was electronically calculated using calipers within 3 consecutive cycles without fetal moveiments

  12. Initial in vitro testing of a paediatric continuous-flow total artificial heart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukamachi, Kiyotaka; Karimov, Jamshid H; Horvath, David J; Sunagawa, Gengo; Byram, Nicole A; Kuban, Barry D; Moazami, Nader

    2018-06-01

    Mechanical circulatory support has become standard therapy for adult patients with end-stage heart failure; however, in paediatric patients with congenital heart disease, the options for chronic mechanical circulatory support are limited to paracorporeal devices or off-label use of devices intended for implantation in adults. Congenital heart disease and cardiomyopathy often involve both the left and right ventricles; in such cases, heart transplantation, a biventricular assist device or a total artificial heart is needed to adequately sustain both pulmonary and systemic circulations. We aimed to evaluate the in vitro performance of the initial prototype of our paediatric continuous-flow total artificial heart. The paediatric continuous-flow total artificial heart pump was downsized from the adult continuous-flow total artificial heart configuration by a scale factor of 0.70 (1/3 of total volume) to enable implantation in infants. System performance of this prototype was evaluated using the continuous-flow total artificial heart mock loop set to mimic paediatric circulation. We generated maps of pump performance and atrial pressure differences over a wide range of systemic vascular resistance/pulmonary vascular resistance and pump speeds. Performance data indicated left pump flow range of 0.4-4.7 l/min at 100 mmHg delta pressure. The left/right atrial pressure difference was maintained within ±5 mmHg with systemic vascular resistance/pulmonary vascular resistance ratios between 1.4 and 35, with/without pump speed modulation, verifying expected passive self-regulation of atrial pressure balance. The paediatric continuous-flow total artificial heart prototype met design requirements for self-regulation and performance; in vivo pump performance studies are ongoing.

  13. Peptidomic Analysis of Fetal Heart Tissue for Identification of Endogenous Peptides Involved in Tetralogy of Fallot.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jingjing; Liang, Dong; Cheng, Qing; Cao, Li; Wu, Yun; Wang, Yan; Han, Shuping; Yu, Zhangbin; Cui, Xianwei; Xu, Tianhui; Ma, Dingyuan; Hu, Ping; Xu, Zhengfeng

    2017-06-01

    Tetralogy of fallot (TOF) is one of the most prevalent types of congenital heart diseases. As a category of bioactive molecules, peptides have been proved to participate in various biological processes. However, the role of endogenous peptides in the pathogenesis of TOF has not been studied. In this study, we performed a comparative peptidomic profile in the fetal heart of TOF and the control group for the first time by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Our data demonstrated that a total of 201 peptides derived from 176 precursor proteins were differentially expressed in the heart tissues of TOF fetuses compared with normal controls, including 41 upregulated peptides and 160 downregulated peptides. After analyzing the characteristics of these differentially expressed peptides and their precursor proteins, we found that these peptides were potentially involved in different biological processes, especially cardiogenesis and congenital anomaly of the cardiovascular system. Interestingly, we detected several extracellular matrix-derived peptides involved in our differentially expressed peptidomic profile. In summary, our study constructed a comparative peptidomic profile from the heart tissues of TOF fetuses and normal controls, and it identified a series of peptides that could potentially participate in heart development and TOF formation. The emergence of our peptidomics study indicated a new perspective to explore the pathogenesis of abnormal heart morphology, especially TOF.

  14. Amniocentesis for fetal lung maturity: will it become obsolete?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varner, Stephen; Sherman, Craig; Lewis, David; Owens, Sheri; Bodie, Frankie; McCathran, C Eric; Holliday, Nicolette

    2013-01-01

    AMNIOCENTESIS FOR FETAL LUNG MATURITY HAS HISTORICALLY BEEN PERFORMED FOR MANY REASONS: uterine and placental complications, maternal comorbidities, fetal issues, and even obstetric problems. Even though the risks associated with third trimester amniocentesis are extremely low, complications have been documented, including preterm labor, placental abruptions, intrauterine rupture, maternal sepsis, fetal heart rate abnormalities, and fetal-maternal hemorrhage. This review presents the types of tests for fetal lung maturity, presents the indications and tests utilized, and discusses recommendations for when amniocentesis for fetal lung maturity may be appropriate.

  15. Fetal body movement monitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rayburn, W F

    1990-03-01

    Recording fetal activity serves as an indirect measure of central nervous system integrity and function. The coordination of whole body movement, which requires complex neurologic control, is likely similar to that of the newborn infant. Short-term observations of the fetus are best performed using real-time ultrasound imaging. Monitoring fetal motion has been shown to be clinically worthwhile in predicting impending death or compromise, especially when placental insufficiency is longstanding. The presence of a vigorous fetus is reassuring. Perceived inactivity requires a reassessment of any underlying antepartum complication and a more precise evaluation by fetal heart rate testing or real-time ultrasonography before delivery is contemplated.

  16. Maturation of the human fetal startle response: Evidence for sex-specific maturation of the human fetus1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buss, Claudia; Davis, Elysia Poggi; Class, Quetzal A.; Gierczak, Matt; Pattillo, Carol; Glynn, Laura M.; Sandman, Curt A.

    2009-01-01

    Despite the evidence for early fetal experience exerting programming influences on later neurological development and health risk, very few prospective studies of human fetal behavior have been reported. In a prospective longitudinal study, fetal nervous system maturation was serially assessed by monitoring fetal heart rate (FHR) responses to vibroacoustic stimulation (VAS) in 191 maternal/fetal dyads. Responses were not detected at 26 weeks gestational age (GA). Sex-specific, age-characteristic changes in the FHR response to VAS were observed by 31 weeks’ GA. Males showed larger responses and continued to exhibit maturational changes until 37 weeks’ GA, females however, presented with a mature FHR startle response by 31 weeks’ GA. The results indicate that there are different rates of maturation in the male and female fetus that may have implications for sex-specific programming influences. PMID:19726143

  17. Longitudinal study of computerized cardiotocography in early fetal growth restriction

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wolf, H.; Arabin, B.; Lees, Christoph C.; Oepkes, D.; Prefumo, Federico; Thilaganathan, B.; Todros, T.; Visser, G.H.A.; Bilardo, Caterina M.; Derks, J. B.; Diemert, A.; Duvekot, Johannes J.; Ferrazzi, E.; Frusca, T.; Hecher, K.; Marlow, N.; Martinelli, P.; Ostermayer, E.; Papageorghiou, Aris T.; Scheepers, Hubertina C. J.; Schlembach, D.; Schneider, K. T M; Valcamonico, A.; van Wassenaer-Leemhuis, A.; Ganzevoort, W.; Aktas, Ayse; Borgione, Silvia; Brezinka, Christoph; Calvert, Sandra; Chaoui, Rabih; Cornette, Jerome M J; Diehl, Thilo; van Eyck, Jim; Fratelli, Nicola; van Haastert, Inge Lot; Johnson, Samantha; Lobmaier, Silvia; Lopriore, Enrico; Mansi, Giuseppina; Missfelder-Lobos, Hannah; Martelli, Paola; Maso, Gianpaolo; Maurer-Fellbaum, Ute; Van Charante, Nico Mensing; De Tollenaer, Susanne Mulder; Moore, Tamanna; Napolitano, Raffaele; Oberto, Manuela; Ogge, Giovanna; van der Post, Joris Am; Preston, Lucy; Raimondi, Francesco; Reiss, Irwin K M; Rigano, Serena; Schuit, Ewoud; Skabar, Aldo; Spaanderman, Marc E.; Weisglas-Kuperus, Nynke; Zimmermann, Andrea

    2017-01-01

    Objectives: To explore whether, in early fetal growth restriction (FGR), the longitudinal pattern of fetal heart rate (FHR) short-term variation (STV) can be used to identify imminent fetal distress and whether abnormalities of FHR recordings are associated with 2-year infant outcome. Methods: The

  18. The influence of physical activity during pregnancy on maternal, fetal or infant heart rate variability: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dietz, Pavel; Watson, Estelle D; Sattler, Matteo C; Ruf, Wolfgang; Titze, Sylvia; van Poppel, Mireille

    2016-10-26

    Physical activity (PA) during pregnancy has been shown to be associated with several positive effects for mother, fetus, and offspring. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a noninvasive and surrogate marker to determine fetal overall health and the development of fetal autonomic nervous system. In addition, it has been shown to be significantly influenced by maternal behavior. However, the influence of maternal PA on HRV has not yet been systematically reviewed. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to assess the influence of regular maternal PA on maternal, fetal or infant HRV. A systematic literature search following a priori formulated criteria of studies that examined the influence of regular maternal PA (assessed for a minimum period of 6 weeks) on maternal, fetal or infant HRV was performed in the databases Pubmed and SPORTDiscus. Quality of each study was assessed using the standardized Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies (QATQS). Nine articles were included into the present systematic review: two intervention studies, one prospective longitudinal study, and six post-hoc analysis of subsets of the longitudinal study. Of these articles four referred to maternal HRV, five to fetal HRV, and one to infant HRV. The overall global rating for the standardized quality assessment of the articles was moderate to weak. The articles regarding the influence of maternal PA on maternal HRV indicated contrary results. Five of five articles regarding the influence of maternal PA on fetal HRV showed increases of fetal HRV on most parameters depending on maternal PA. The article referring to infant HRV (measured one month postnatal) showed an increased HRV. Based on the current evidence available, our overall conclusion is that the hypothesis that maternal PA influences maternal HRV cannot be supported, but there is a trend that maternal PA might increase fetal and infant HRV (clinical conclusion). Therefore, we recommend that further, high quality studies

  19. Time-scale analysis of antepartum fetal heart rate variability

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Peters, C.H.L.

    2011-01-01

    Reliable evaluation of fetal condition and early detection of fetal distress is one of the largest challenges in modern obstetrics. Safely protected within the maternal womb, the fetus is rather inaccessible for physiological measurements. One of few physiological phenomena that can be measured

  20. Fetal MSCs

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    First page Back Continue Last page Overview Graphics. Derived from extra embryonic tissues (amniotic fluid, placenta, cord blood, Wharton's Jelly) and fetal tissues (aborted fetuses). Derived from extra embryonic tissues (amniotic fluid, placenta, cord blood, Wharton's Jelly) and fetal tissues (aborted fetuses). In comparison ...

  1. n-Order and maximum fuzzy similarity entropy for discrimination of signals of different complexity: Application to fetal heart rate signals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaylaa, Amira; Oudjemia, Souad; Charara, Jamal; Girault, Jean-Marc

    2015-09-01

    This paper presents two new concepts for discrimination of signals of different complexity. The first focused initially on solving the problem of setting entropy descriptors by varying the pattern size instead of the tolerance. This led to the search for the optimal pattern size that maximized the similarity entropy. The second paradigm was based on the n-order similarity entropy that encompasses the 1-order similarity entropy. To improve the statistical stability, n-order fuzzy similarity entropy was proposed. Fractional Brownian motion was simulated to validate the different methods proposed, and fetal heart rate signals were used to discriminate normal from abnormal fetuses. In all cases, it was found that it was possible to discriminate time series of different complexity such as fractional Brownian motion and fetal heart rate signals. The best levels of performance in terms of sensitivity (90%) and specificity (90%) were obtained with the n-order fuzzy similarity entropy. However, it was shown that the optimal pattern size and the maximum similarity measurement were related to intrinsic features of the time series. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Fetal heart rate abnormalities during and after external cephalic version: Which fetuses are at risk and how are they delivered?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuppens, Simone M; Smailbegovic, Ida; Houterman, Saskia; de Leeuw, Ingrid; Hasaart, Tom H

    2017-10-17

    Fetal heart rate abnormalities (FHR) during and after external cephalic version (ECV) are relatively frequent. They may raise concern about fetal wellbeing. Only occasionally they may lead to an emergency cesarean section. Prospective cohort study in 980 women (> 34 weeks gestation) with a singleton fetus in breech presentation. During and after external cephalic version (ECV) FHR abnormalities were recorded. Obstetric variables and delivery outcome were evaluated. Primary outcome was to identify which fetuses are at risk for FHR abnormalities. Secondary outcome was to identify a possible relationship between FHR abnormalities during and after ECV and mode of delivery and fetal distress during subsequent labor. The overall success rate of ECV was 60% and in 9% of the attempts there was an abnormal FHR pattern. In two cases FHR abnormalities after ECV led to an emergency CS. Estimated fetal weight per 100 g (OR 0.90, CI: 0.87-0.94) and longer duration of the ECV-procedure (OR 1.13, CI: 1.05-1.21) were factors significantly associated with the occurrence of FHR abnormalities. FHR abnormalities were not associated with the mode of delivery or the occurrence of fetal distress during subsequent labor. FHR abnormalities during and after ECV are more frequent with lower estimated fetal weight and longer duration of the procedure. FHR abnormalities during and after ECV have no consequences for subsequent mode of delivery. They do not predict whether fetal distress will occur during labor. The Eindhoven Breech Intervention Study, NCT00516555 . Date of registration: August 13, 2007.

  3. Fetal growth restriction and the programming of heart growth and cardiac insulin-like growth factor 2 expression in the lamb.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Kimberley C W; Zhang, Lei; McMillen, I Caroline; Botting, Kimberley J; Duffield, Jaime A; Zhang, Song; Suter, Catherine M; Brooks, Doug A; Morrison, Janna L

    2011-10-01

    Reduced growth in fetal life together with accelerated growth in childhood, results in a ~50% greater risk of coronary heart disease in adult life. It is unclear why changes in patterns of body and heart growth in early life can lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood. We aimed to investigate the role of the insulin-like growth factors in heart growth in the growth-restricted fetus and lamb. Hearts were collected from control and placentally restricted (PR) fetuses at 137-144 days gestation and from average (ABW) and low (LBW) birth weight lambs at 21 days of age. We quantified cardiac mRNA expression of IGF-1, IGF-2 and their receptors, IGF-1R and IGF-2R, using real-time RT-PCR and protein expression of IGF-1R and IGF-2R using Western blotting. Combined bisulphite restriction analysis was used to assess DNA methylation in the differentially methylated region (DMR) of the IGF-2/H19 locus and of the IGF-2R gene. In PR fetal sheep, IGF-2, IGF-1R and IGF-2R mRNA expression was increased in the heart compared to controls. LBW lambs had a greater left ventricle weight relative to body weight as well as increased IGF-2 and IGF-2R mRNA expression in the heart, when compared to ABW lambs. No changes in the percentage of methylation of the DMRs of IGF-2/H19 or IGF-2R were found between PR and LBW when compared to their respective controls. In conclusion, a programmed increased in cardiac gene expression of IGF-2 and IGF-2R may represent an adaptive response to reduced substrate supply (e.g. glucose and/or oxygen) in order to maintain heart growth and may be the underlying cause for increased ventricular hypertrophy and the associated susceptibility of cardiomyocytes to ischaemic damage later in life.

  4. Fetal monitoring indications for delivery and 2-year outcome in 310 infants with fetal growth restriction delivered before 32 weeks' gestation in the TRUFFLE study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Visser, G.H.A.; Bilardo, Caterina M.; Derks, J. B.; Ferrazzi, E.; Fratelli, Nicola; Frusca, T.; Ganzevoort, W.; Lees, Christoph C.; Napolitano, Raffaele; Todros, T.; Wolf, H.; Hecher, K.; Marlow, N.; Arabin, B.; Brezinka, C.; Diemert, A.; Duvekot, Johannes J.; Martinelli, P.; Ostermayer, E.; Papageorghiou, Aris T.; Schlembach, D.; Schneider, K. T M; Thilaganathan, B.; Valcamonico, A.; Aktas, Ayse; Borgione, Silvia; Chaoui, Rabih; Cornette, Jerome M J; Diehl, Thilo; van Eyck, J.; van Haastert, I. C.; Kingdom, J.C.; Lobmaier, Silvia; Lopriore, E.; Missfelder-Lobos, Hannah; Mansi, Giuseppina; Martelli, Paola; Maso, Gianpaolo; Marsal, K.; Maurer-Fellbaum, Ute; Mensing van Charante, N.; Mulder-De Tollenaer, Susanne; Oberto, Manuela; Oepkes, D.; Ogge, Giovanna; van der Post, Joris A. M.; Prefumo, Federico; Preston, Lucy; Raimondi, Francesco; Rattue, H.; Reiss, Irwin K M; Scheepers, L. S.; Skabar, Aldo; Spaanderman, M.; Thornton, J.G.; Valensise, H.; Weisglas-Kuperus, N.; Zimmermann, Andrea

    2017-01-01

    Objective: In the TRUFFLE (Trial of Randomized Umbilical and Fetal Flow in Europe) study on the outcome of early fetal growth restriction, women were allocated to one of three groups of indication for delivery according to the following monitoring strategies: (1) reduced fetal heart rate (FHR)

  5. Chronic hypoxia alters maternal uterine and fetal hemodynamics in the full-term pregnant guinea pig.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turan, Sifa; Aberdeen, Graham W; Thompson, Loren P

    2017-10-01

    Placental hypoxia is associated with maternal hypertension, placental insufficiency, and fetal growth restriction. In the pregnant guinea pig, prenatal hypoxia during early gestation inhibits cytotrophoblast invasion of spiral arteries, increases maternal blood pressure, and induces fetal growth restriction. In this study the impact of chronic maternal hypoxia on fetal heart structure was evaluated using four-dimensional echocardiography with spatiotemporal image correlation and tomographic ultrasound, and uterine and umbilical artery resistance/pulsatility indexes and fetal heart function were evaluated using pulsed-wave Doppler ultrasound. Pregnant guinea pigs were exposed to normoxia ( n = 7) or hypoxia (10.5% O 2 , n = 9) at 28-30 days gestation, which was maintained until full term (65 days). At full term, fetal heart structure and outflow tracts were evaluated in the four-chamber view. Fetal heart diastolic function was assessed by E wave-to-A wave diastolic filling ratios (E/A ratios) of both ventricles and systolic function by the myocardial performance index (or Tie) of left ventricles of normoxic ( n = 21) and hypoxic ( n = 17) fetuses. There were no structural abnormalities in fetal hearts. However, hypoxia induced asymmetric fetal growth restriction and increased the placental/fetal weight compared with normoxic controls. Hypoxia increased Doppler resistance and pulsatility indexes in the uterine, but not umbilical, arteries, had no effect on the Tie index, and increased the E/A ratio in left, but not right, ventricles. Thus, prolonged hypoxia, starting at midgestation, increases uterine artery resistance and generates fetal growth restriction at full term. Furthermore, the enhanced cardiac diastolic filling with no changes in systolic function or umbilical artery resistance suggests that the fetal guinea pig systemic circulation undergoes a compensated, adaptive response to prolonged hypoxia exposure. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological

  6. Hybrid Continuous-Flow Total Artificial Heart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fox, Carson; Chopski, Steven; Murad, Nohra; Allaire, Paul; Mentzer, Robert; Rossano, Joseph; Arabia, Francisco; Throckmorton, Amy

    2018-05-01

    Clinical studies using total artificial hearts (TAHs) have demonstrated that pediatric and adult patients derive quality-of-life benefits from this form of therapy. Two clinically-approved TAHs and other pumps under development, however, have design challenges and limitations, including thromboembolic events, neurologic impairment, infection risk due to large size and percutaneous drivelines, and lack of ambulation, to name a few. To address these limitations, we are developing a hybrid-design, continuous-flow, implantable or extracorporeal, magnetically-levitated TAH for pediatric and adult patients with heart failure. This TAH has only two moving parts: an axial impeller for the pulmonary circulation and a centrifugal impeller for the systemic circulation. This device will utilize the latest generation of magnetic bearing technology. Initial geometries were established using pump design equations, and computational modeling provided insight into pump performance. The designs were the basis for prototype manufacturing and hydraulic testing. The study results demonstrate that the TAH is capable of delivering target blood flow rates of 1-6.5 L/min with pressure rises of 1-92 mm Hg for the pulmonary circulation and 24-150 mm Hg for the systemic circulation at 1500-10 000 rpm. This initial design of the TAH was successful and serves as the foundation to continue its development as a novel, more compact, nonthrombogenic, and effective therapeutic alternative for infants, children, adolescents, and adults with heart failure. © 2018 International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Intermittent auscultation versus continuous fetal monitoring: exploring factors that influence birthing unit nurses' fetal surveillance practice using theoretical domains framework.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patey, Andrea M; Curran, Janet A; Sprague, Ann E; Francis, Jill J; Driedger, S Michelle; Légaré, France; Lemyre, Louise; Pomey, Marie-Pascale A; Grimshaw, Jeremy M

    2017-09-25

    Intermittent Auscultation (IA) is the recommended method of fetal surveillance for healthy women in labour. However, the majority of women receive continuous electronic monitoring. We used the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) to explore the views of Birthing Unit nurses about using IA as their primary method of fetal surveillance for healthy women in labour. Using a semi-structured interview guide, we interviewed a convenience sample of birthing unit nurses throughout Ontario, Canada to elicit their views about fetal surveillance. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were content analysed using the TDF and themes were framed as belief statements. Domains potentially key to changing fetal surveillance behaviour and informing intervention design were identified by noting the frequencies of beliefs, content, and their reported influence on the use of IA. We interviewed 12 birthing unit nurses. Seven of the 12 TDF domains were perceived to be key to changing birthing unit nurses' behaviour The nurses reported that competing tasks, time constraints and the necessity to multitask often limit their ability to perform IA (domains Beliefs about capabilities; Environmental context and resources). Some nurses noted the decision to use IA was something that they consciously thought about with every patient while others stated it their default decision as long as there were no risk factors (Memory, attention and decision processes, Nature of behaviour). They identified positive consequences (e.g. avoid unnecessary interventions, mother-centered care) and negative consequences of using IA (e.g. legal concerns) and reported that the negative consequences can often outweigh positive consequences (Beliefs about consequences). Some reported that hospital policies and varying support from care teams inhibited their use of IA (Social influences), and that support from the entire team and hospital management would likely increase their use (Social

  8. Fetal response to abbreviated relaxation techniques. A randomized controlled study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fink, Nadine S; Urech, Corinne; Isabel, Fornaro; Meyer, Andrea; Hoesli, Irène; Bitzer, Johannes; Alder, Judith

    2011-02-01

    stress during pregnancy can have adverse effects on the course of pregnancy and on fetal development. There are few studies investigating the outcome of stress reduction interventions on maternal well-being and obstetric outcome. this study aims (1) to obtain fetal behavioral states (quiet/active sleep, quiet/active wakefulness), (2) to investigate the effects of maternal relaxation on fetal behavior as well as on uterine activity, and (3) to investigate maternal physiological and endocrine parameters as potential underlying mechanisms for maternal-fetal relaxation-transferral. the behavior of 33 fetuses was analyzed during laboratory relaxation/quiet rest (control group, CG) and controlled for baseline fetal behavior. Potential associations between relaxation/quiet rest and fetal behavior (fetal heart rate (FHR), FHR variation, FHR acceleration, and body movements) and uterine activity were studied, using a computerized cardiotocogram (CTG) system. Maternal heart rate, blood pressure, cortisol, and norepinephrine were measured. intervention (progressive muscle relaxation, PMR, and guided imagery, GI) showed changes in fetal behavior. The intervention groups had higher long-term variation during and after relaxation compared to the CG (p=.039). CG fetuses had more FHR acceleration, especially during and after quiet rest (p=.027). Women in the PMR group had significantly more uterine activity than women in the GI group (p=.011) and than CG women. Maternal heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones were not associated with fetal behavior. this study indicates that the fetus might participate in maternal relaxation and suggests that GI is superior to PMR. This could especially be true for women who tend to direct their attention to body sensations such as abdominal activity. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Mitochondrial DNA Hypomethylation Is a Biomarker Associated with Induced Senescence in Human Fetal Heart Mesenchymal Stem Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dehai Yu

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Fetal heart can regenerate to restore its normal anatomy and function in response to injury, but this regenerative capacity is lost within the first week of postnatal life. Although the specific molecular mechanisms remain to be defined, it is presumed that aging of cardiac stem or progenitor cells may contribute to the loss of regenerative potential. Methods. To study this aging-related dysfunction, we cultured mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs from human fetal heart tissues. Senescence was induced by exposing cells to chronic oxidative stress/low serum. Mitochondrial DNA methylation was examined during the period of senescence. Results. Senescent MSCs exhibited flattened and enlarged morphology and were positive for the senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal. By scanning the entire mitochondrial genome, we found that four CpG islands were hypomethylated in close association with senescence in MSCs. The mitochondrial COX1 gene, which encodes the main subunit of the cytochrome c oxidase complex and contains the differentially methylated CpG island 4, was upregulated in MSCs in parallel with the onset of senescence. Knockdown of DNA methyltransferases (DNMT1, DNMT3a, and DNMT3B also upregulated COX1 expression and induced cellular senescence in MSCs. Conclusions. This study demonstrates that mitochondrial CpG hypomethylation may serve as a critical biomarker associated with cellular senescence induced by chronic oxidative stress.

  10. Non-invasive pulsed cavitational ultrasound for fetal tissue ablation: feasibility study in a fetal sheep model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Y; Gelehrter, S K; Fifer, C G; Lu, J C; Owens, G E; Berman, D R; Williams, J; Wilkinson, J E; Ives, K A; Xu, Z

    2011-04-01

    Currently available fetal intervention techniques rely on invasive procedures that carry inherent risks. A non-invasive technique for fetal intervention could potentially reduce the risk of fetal and obstetric complications. Pulsed cavitational ultrasound therapy (histotripsy) is an ablation technique that mechanically fractionates tissue at the focal region using extracorporeal ultrasound. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of using histotripsy as a non-invasive approach to fetal intervention in a sheep model. The experiments involved 11 gravid sheep at 102-129 days of gestation. Fetal kidney, liver, lung and heart were exposed to ultrasound pulses (bones. Histological assessment confirmed lesion locations and sizes corresponding to regions where cavitation was monitored, with no lesions found when cavitation was absent. Inability to generate cavitation was primarily associated with increased depth to target and obstructing structures such as fetal limbs. Extracorporeal histotripsy therapy successfully created targeted lesions in fetal sheep organs without significant damage to overlying structures. With further improvements, histotripsy may evolve into a viable technique for non-invasive fetal intervention procedures. Copyright © 2011 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  11. Congenital heart disease screening: which referral factors are most important

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fayyaz, A.; Ahmed, W.

    2013-01-01

    To identify the referral factors for fetal echocardiography which are associated with congenital cardiac defects in the fetus. Study Design: Cross-sectional descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: Radiology Department, CMH, Rawalpindi, from January 2007 to November 2010. Methodology: All patients referred for fetal echocardiography with one or more risk factors for the development of congenital heart disease, and those patients with incidental discovery of congenital heart disease on antenatal ultrasound were evaluated. Patients with no risk factors who were found to have normal fetal echocardiography were excluded from the study. Univariate logistic regression analysis was carried out for each variable. The variables with statistical significance of less than 0.05 were subjected to multivariate logistic regression. Fetal echocardiographic diagnosis was taken as the dependent variable and all other variables were the independent variables. Results: Two hundred and sixty four patients were evaluated by fetal echocardiography for congenital heart disease. The statistically significant factor was detection of congenital heart disease on routine ultrasound examination. Conclusion: A routine obstetric scan should include evaluation of the heart with four-chamber and base-of-heart views to exclude cardiac anomalies. A cardiac anomaly picked up on routine ultrasound scan is the most important indication for referral for fetal echocardiography. Fetal arrhythmias and echogenic focus in the left ventricle do not have a significant association with structural cardiac malformation. (author)

  12. Cardiotocography versus intermittent auscultation of fetal heart on admission to labour ward for assessment of fetal wellbeing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Devane, Declan; Lalor, Joan G; Daly, Sean; McGuire, William; Cuthbert, Anna; Smith, Valerie

    2017-01-26

    The admission cardiotocograph (CTG) is a commonly used screening test consisting of a short (usually 20 minutes) recording of the fetal heart rate (FHR) and uterine activity performed on the mother's admission to the labour ward. This is an update of a review published in 2012. To compare the effects of admission cardiotocography with intermittent auscultation of the FHR on maternal and infant outcomes for pregnant women without risk factors on their admission to the labour ward. We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register to 30 November 2016 and we planned to review the reference list of retrieved papers All randomised and quasi-randomised trials comparing admission CTG with intermittent auscultation of the FHR for pregnant women between 37 and 42 completed weeks of pregnancy and considered to be at low risk of intrapartum fetal hypoxia and of developing complications during labour. Two authors independently assessed trial eligibility and quality, and extracted data. Data were checked for accuracy. We included no new trials in this update. We included four trials involving more than 13,000 women which were conducted in the UK and Ireland and included women in labour. Three trials were funded by the hospitals where the trials took place and one trial was funded by the Scottish government. No declarations of interest were made in two trials; the remaining two trials did not mention declarations of interest. Overall, the studies were assessed as low risk of bias. Results reported in the 2012 review remain unchanged.Although not statistically significant using a strict P auscultation (risk ratio (RR) 1.20, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.00 to 1.44, 4 trials, 11,338 women, I² = 0%, moderate quality evidence). There was no clear difference in the average treatment effect across included trials between women allocated to admission CTG and women allocated to intermittent auscultation in instrumental vaginal birth (RR 1.10, 95% CI 0.95 to 1

  13. Normal ranges for fetal electrocardiogram values for the healthy fetus of 18-24 weeks of gestation: a prospective cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verdurmen, Kim M J; Lempersz, Carlijn; Vullings, Rik; Schroer, Christian; Delhaas, Tammo; van Laar, Judith O E H; Oei, S Guid

    2016-08-17

    The fetal anomaly ultrasound only detects 65 to 81 % of the patients with congenital heart disease, making it the most common structural fetal anomaly of which a significant part is missed during prenatal life. Therefore, we need a reliable non-invasive diagnostic method which improves the predictive value for congenital heart diseases early in pregnancy. Fetal electrocardiography could be this desired diagnostic method. There are multiple technical challenges to overcome in the conduction of the fetal electrocardiogram. In addition, interpretation is difficult due to the organisation of the fetal circulation in utero. We want to establish the normal ranges and values of the fetal electrocardiogram parameters in healthy fetuses of 18 to 24 weeks of gestation. Women with an uneventful singleton pregnancy between 18 and 24 weeks of gestation are asked to participate in this prospective cohort study. A certified and experienced sonographist performs the fetal anomaly scan. Subsequently, a fetal electrocardiogram recording is performed using dedicated signal processing methods. Measurements are performed at two institutes. We will include 300 participants to determine the normal values and 95 % confidence intervals of the fetal electrocardiogram parameters in a healthy fetus. We will evaluate the fetal heart rate, segment intervals, normalised amplitude and the fetal heart axis. Three months postpartum, we will evaluate if a newborn is healthy through a questionnaire. Fetal electrocardiography could be a promising tool in the screening program for congenital heart diseases. The electrocardiogram is a depiction of the intimate relationship between the cardiac nerve conduction pathways and the structural morphology of the fetal heart, and therefore particularly suitable for the detection of secondary effects due to a congenital heart disease (hypotrophy, hypertrophy and conduction interruption).

  14. Aldosterone inhibits the fetal program and increases hypertrophy in the heart of hypertensive mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Feriel Azibani

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Arterial hypertension (AH induces cardiac hypertrophy and reactivation of "fetal" gene expression. In rodent heart, alpha-Myosin Heavy Chain (MyHC and its micro-RNA miR-208a regulate the expression of beta-MyHC and of its intronic miR-208b. However, the role of aldosterone in these processes remains unclear. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: RT-PCR and western-blot were used to investigate the genes modulated by arterial hypertension and cardiac hyperaldosteronism. We developed a model of double-transgenic mice (AS-Ren with cardiac hyperaldosteronism (AS mice and systemic hypertension (Ren. AS-Ren mice had increased (x2 angiotensin II in plasma and increased (x2 aldosterone in heart. Ren and AS-Ren mice had a robust and similar hypertension (+70% versus their controls. Anatomical data and echocardiography showed a worsening of cardiac hypertrophy (+41% in AS-Ren mice (P<0.05 vs Ren. The increase of ANP (x 2.5; P<0.01 mRNA observed in Ren mice was blunted in AS-Ren mice. This non-induction of antitrophic natriuretic peptides may be involved in the higher trophic cardiac response in AS-Ren mice, as indicated by the markedly reduced cardiac hypertrophy in ANP-infused AS-Ren mice for one month. Besides, the AH-induced increase of ßMyHC and its intronic miRNA-208b was prevented in AS-Ren. The inhibition of miR 208a (-75%, p<0.001 in AS-Ren mice compared to AS was associated with increased Sox 6 mRNA (x 1.34; p<0.05, an inhibitor of ßMyHC transcription. Eplerenone prevented all aldosterone-dependent effects. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results indicate that increased aldosterone in heart inhibits the induction of atrial natriuretic peptide expression, via the mineralocorticoid receptor. This worsens cardiac hypertrophy without changing blood pressure. Moreover, this work reveals an original aldosterone-dependent inhibition of miR-208a in hypertension, resulting in the inhibition of β-myosin heavy chain expression through the induction

  15. The effects of different concentrations of cocoa in the chocolate intaken by the mother on fetal heart rate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buscicchio, Giorgia; Lorenzi, Sara; Tranquilli, Andrea Luigi

    2013-10-01

    To analyze the effects of different concentrations (30% and 80%) of cocoa on fetal heart rate (FHR). One hundred pregnant women with uncomplicated gestation, matched for age and parity, underwent computerized FHR recording before and after the consumption of 30 g of 30% and 80% cocoa chocolate. After 1 week, those who had received 30% were shifted to 80% and vice versa to have a crossover. Computerized cardiotocography parameters (contractions, fetal movements, baseline FHR, accelerations greater than 15 bpm for 15 s, number of decelerations, minutes of high variability, short term variability in ms) were recorded and expressed as mean and SD. The differences were tested for statistical significance using the paired t test, with the significance at p cocoa intake. After 30% cocoa chocolate intake, only the number of accelerations was significantly increased. The percent change of the number of accelerations and the short-term FHR variation were significantly higher after 80% cocoa chocolate maternal intake. Maternal intake of dark chocolate has a stimulating action on fetal reactivity. The effect is more marked with high concentrations (80%) of cocoa. This finding is likely due to the pharmacological action of theobromine, a methilxanthine present in cocoa.

  16. Detection and Processing Techniques of FECG Signal for Fetal Monitoring

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hasan MA

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Fetal electrocardiogram (FECG signal contains potentially precise information that could assist clinicians in making more appropriate and timely decisions during labor. The ultimate reason for the interest in FECG signal analysis is in clinical diagnosis and biomedical applications. The extraction and detection of the FECG signal from composite abdominal signals with powerful and advance methodologies are becoming very important requirements in fetal monitoring. The purpose of this review paper is to illustrate the various methodologies and developed algorithms on FECG signal detection and analysis to provide efficient and effective ways of understanding the FECG signal and its nature for fetal monitoring. A comparative study has been carried out to show the performance and accuracy of various methods of FECG signal analysis for fetal monitoring. Finally, this paper further focused some of the hardware implementations using electrical signals for monitoring the fetal heart rate. This paper opens up a passage for researchers, physicians, and end users to advocate an excellent understanding of FECG signal and its analysis procedures for fetal heart rate monitoring system.

  17. True Umbilical Cord Knot Leading to Fetal Demise

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    weight was 140 kg, height 1.69 m, blood pressure 120 mmHg. The booking ... The fetal heart tones were monitored using Doppler sonicaid. They remained normal throughout .... true knot, seemingly because the umbilical cord vessels can be compressed ... Therefore, the Wharton's jelly surrounding the fetal vessels has the ...

  18. Is there evidence of fetal-maternal heart rate synchronization?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bettermann Henrik

    2003-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The prenatal condition offers a unique possibility of examining physiological interaction between individuals. Goal of this work was to look for evidence of coordination between fetal and maternal cardiac systems. Methods 177 magnetocardiograms were recorded in 62 pregnancies (16th–42nd week of gestation. Fetal and maternal RR interval time series were constructed and the phases, i.e. the timing of the R peaks of one time series in relation to each RR interval of the other were determined. The distributions of these phases were examined and synchrograms were constructed for real and surrogate pairs of fetal and maternal data sets. Synchronization epochs were determined for defined n:m coupling ratios. Results Differences between real and surrogate data could not be found with respect to number of synchronization epochs found (712 vs. 741, gestational age, subject, recording or n:m combination. There was however a preference for the occurrence of synchronization epochs in specific phases in real data not apparent in the surrogate for some n:m combinations. Conclusion The results suggest that occasional coupling between fetal and maternal cardiac systems does occur.

  19. Development and significance of a fetal electrocardiogram recorded by signal-averaged high-amplification electrocardiography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayashi, Risa; Nakai, Kenji; Fukushima, Akimune; Itoh, Manabu; Sugiyama, Toru

    2009-03-01

    Although ultrasonic diagnostic imaging and fetal heart monitors have undergone great technological improvements, the development and use of fetal electrocardiograms to evaluate fetal arrhythmias and autonomic nervous activity have not been fully established. We verified the clinical significance of the novel signal-averaged vector-projected high amplification ECG (SAVP-ECG) method in fetuses from 48 gravidas at 32-41 weeks of gestation and in 34 neonates. SAVP-ECGs from fetuses and newborns were recorded using a modified XYZ-leads system. Once noise and maternal QRS waves were removed, the P, QRS, and T wave intervals were measured from the signal-averaged fetal ECGs. We also compared fetal and neonatal heart rates (HRs), coefficients of variation of heart rate variability (CV) as a parasympathetic nervous activity, and the ratio of low to high frequency (LF/HF ratio) as a sympathetic nervous activity. The rate of detection of a fetal ECG by SAVP-ECG was 72.9%, and the fetal and neonatal QRS and QTc intervals were not significantly different. The neonatal CVs and LF/HF ratios were significantly increased compared with those in the fetus. In conclusion, we have developed a fetal ECG recording method using the SAVP-ECG system, which we used to evaluate autonomic nervous system development.

  20. MR evaluation of fetal demise

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Victoria, Teresa; Chauvin, Nancy Anne; Johnson, Ann M.; Kramer, Sandra Sue; Epelman, Monica; Capilla, Elena

    2011-01-01

    Fetal demise is an uncommon event encountered at MR imaging. When it occurs, recognition by the interpreting radiologist is important to initiate appropriate patient management. To identify MR findings of fetal demise. Following IRB approval, a retrospective search of the radiology fetal MR database was conducted searching the words ''fetal demise'' and ''fetal death.'' Fetuses with obvious maceration or no sonographic confirmation of death were excluded. Eleven cases formed the study group. These were matched randomly to live fetuses of similar gestational age. Images were reviewed independently by three pediatric radiologists. The deceased fetus demonstrates decreased MR soft-tissue contrast and definition of tissue planes, including loss of gray-white matter differentiation in the brain. The signal within the cardiac chambers, when visible, is bright on HASTE sequences from the stagnant blood; the heart is small. Pleural effusions and decreased lung volumes may be seen. Interestingly, the fetal orbits lose their anatomical round shape and become smaller and more elliptical; a dark, irregular rim resembling a mask may be seen. Although fetal demise is uncommonly encountered at MR imaging, radiologists should be aware of such imaging findings so prompt management can be instituted. (orig.)

  1. A PKM2 signature in the failing heart

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rees, Meredith L.; Subramaniam, Janani; Li, Yuanteng; Hamilton, Dale J.; Frazier, O. Howard; Taegtmeyer, Heinrich

    2015-01-01

    A salient feature of the failing heart is metabolic remodeling towards predominant glucose metabolism and activation of the fetal gene program. Sunitinib is a multitargeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor used for the treatment of highly vascularized tumors. In diabetic patients, sunitinib significantly decreases blood glucose. However, a considerable proportion of sunitinib-treated patients develop cardiac dysfunction or failure. We asked whether sunitinib treatment results in shift towards glycolysis in the heart. Glucose uptake by the heart was increased fivefold in mice treated with sunitinib. Transcript analysis by qPCR revealed an induction of genes associated with glycolysis and reactivation of the fetal gene program. Additionally, we observed a shift in the enzyme pyruvate kinase from the adult M1 (PKM1) isoform to the fetal M2 (PKM2) isoform, a hallmark of the Warburg Effect. This novel observation led us to examine whether a similar shift occurs in human heart failure. Examination of tissue from patients with heart failure similarly displayed an induction of PKM2. Moreover, this phenomenon was partially reversed following mechanical unloading. We propose that pyruvate kinase isoform switching represents a novel feature of the fetal gene program in the failing heart. PMID:25735978

  2. The Effects of Maternal Opium Abuse on Fetal Heart Rate using Non-Stress Test

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fatemeh Keikha

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: Opium is one of the most commonly abused opiates in developing countries including Iran. Considering the importance of maternal health on the newborn, we aimed to assess the effect of opium abuse on fetal heart rate (FHR characteristics in a sample of pregnant women in Zahedan, Southeast Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done on 100 pregnant women referring to Ali-Ibn-Abi Talib Hospital in Zahedan, during 2011-2013. The participants were divided into two groups comprising of opium abusers and healthy individuals. The participants received 500cc intravenous fluid containing dextrose and then non-stress test results were recorded for 20 minutes. Results: We found no significant difference between the two groups with respect to their demographic characteristics. Fetal movements, variability, acceleration, and reactivity were significantly higher among addicted women (P<0.0001 for all. Periodic change was 9.8 times higher among opium abusers compared with the healthy women. Abnormal variability or oscillations of <15 beats/min, which indicates lack of beat-to-beat variability, was significantly higher in the fetuses of addicted mothers (P<0.0001. Conclusion: Considering significant abnormal patterns in FHR characteristics among the opium abuser group, mothers addicted to opium need specific prenatal care.

  3. [Interest of lactate micro-dosage in scalp and umbilical cord in cases of abnormal fetal heart rate during labor. Prospective study on 162 patients].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paris, A; Maurice-Tison, S; Coatleven, F; Vandenbossche, F; Dallay, D; Horovitz, J

    2012-06-01

    To compare the interest of lactate microanalysis with pH measurement (Gold Standard procedure) in cord blood and fetal scalp blood samples for the assessment of abnormal fetal heart rate (FHR) during labour. A prospective observational study conducted from July 1st 2007 till March 31st 2008 on 162 patients with abnormal FHR during labour. Sampling failure for scalp lactate was less than 1 % compared to a failure of 10.5 % for scalp pH (Pinterest. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  4. [Maternal and fetal outcomes with aortic dissection in pregnant patients with Marfan syndrome].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Puyu; Zhang, Jun; Li, Yanna; Wang, Hui; Zheng, Jun

    2015-05-01

    cardiovascular surgery, the order of which was implemented cesarean section under general anesthesia firstly and then operated cardiovascular surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass and heparinization. Two were conducted cardiovascular surgery after termination of pregnancy by early artificial abortion operation or hysterotomy. 1 was conducted Bentall surgery at 18 weeks of pregnancy, after that the patient was receiving warfarin until the fetal brain hemorrhage was examined by ultrasound at 31 weeks of pregnancy; the patient was conducted cesarean section due to intrauterine fetal death. 1 was conducted heart surgery at 24 weeks of pregnancy and continue the pregnancy to 30 weeks, was conducted cesarean section due to severe early-onset preeclampsia at 30 weeks of pregnancy. (5) Among 7 patients, three patients underwent heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass combined with cesarean section. Two patients terminated pregnancy after heart surgery. Two patients terminated pregnancy before heart surgery. Six patients were alive and one patient died of multiple organ failure. (6) 3 cases of newborn with birth body mass between 1 080 to 1 490 g.1 case of birth died after 14 d. 2 cases for newborns were alive without exception. Aortic dissection poses serious risk for pregnant women with Marfan syndrome and the fetus, and the mortality rates for both the mother and the fetus are high. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment should be based on maternal and fetal conditions (such as aortic dissection, gestational age). When fetus is mature, cardiovascular surgery should be carried out with cesarean section. A multi-disciplinary team between obstetric and cardiovascular surgery is crucial to the outcome of these critical patients.

  5. [Effect of music on fetal behaviour].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malinova, M; Malinova, M

    2004-01-01

    Antenatal music stimulation shown to elicit fetal heart rate and body movement responses, indicating that prenatal experience with music influences auditory functional development. The slower tempo resulted in less movement variation.

  6. Real-time 3-dimensional fetal echocardiography with an instantaneous volume-rendered display: early description and pictorial essay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sklansky, Mark S; DeVore, Greggory R; Wong, Pierre C

    2004-02-01

    Random fetal motion, rapid fetal heart rates, and cumbersome processing algorithms have limited reconstructive approaches to 3-dimensional fetal cardiac imaging. Given the recent development of real-time, instantaneous volume-rendered sonographic displays of volume data, we sought to apply this technology to fetal cardiac imaging. We obtained 1 to 6 volume data sets on each of 30 fetal hearts referred for formal fetal echocardiography. Each volume data set was acquired over 2 to 8 seconds and stored on the system's hard drive. Rendered images were subsequently processed to optimize translucency, smoothing, and orientation and cropped to reveal "surgeon's eye views" of clinically relevant anatomic structures. Qualitative comparison was made with conventional fetal echocardiography for each subject. Volume-rendered displays identified all major abnormalities but failed to identify small ventricular septal defects in 2 patients. Important planes and views not visualized during the actual scans were generated with minimal processing of rendered image displays. Volume-rendered displays tended to have slightly inferior image quality compared with conventional 2-dimensional images. Real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography with instantaneous volume-rendered displays of the fetal heart represents a new approach to fetal cardiac imaging with tremendous clinical potential.

  7. Continuous measurement of heart rate variability following carbon ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: Previous studies of autonomic nervous system activity through analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) have demonstrated increased sympathetic activity during positive-pressure pneumoperitoneum. We employed an online, continuous method for rapid HRV analysis (MemCalc™, Tarawa, Suwa Trust, Tokyo, ...

  8. Complete maternal and fetal recovery after prolonged cardiac arrest.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selden, B S; Burke, T J

    1988-04-01

    A case of complete maternal and fetal recovery after prolonged cardiac arrest from massive lidocaine overdose is presented. A 27-year-old woman at 15 weeks gestation had a complete neurologic recovery after 22 minutes of CPR, including 19 minutes of electromechanical dissociation and asystole, with normal fetal heart function and fetal motion confirmed by ultrasound immediately after resuscitation. The patient delivered a healthy and neurologically normal infant at 40 weeks gestation. This is the longest cardiac arrest in early pregnancy reported in the medical literature with normal maternal and fetal outcome.

  9. Intermittent auscultation of fetal heart rate during labour - a widely accepted technique for low risk pregnancies: but are the current national guidelines robust and practical?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sholapurkar, S L

    2010-01-01

    Intermittent auscultation of fetal heart rate is an accepted practice in low risk labours in many countries. National guidelines on intrapartum fetal monitoring were critically reviewed regarding timing and frequency of intermittent auscultation. Hypothetical but plausible examples are presented to illustrate that it may be possible to miss significant fetal distress with strict adherence to current guidelines. Opinion is forwarded that intermittent auscultation should be performed for 60 seconds before and after three contractions over about 10 min every half an hour in the first stage of labour. Reasons are put forward to show how this could be more practical and patient friendly and at the same time could improve detection of fetal distress. The current recommendation of intermittent auscultation every 15 min in the first stage is associated with poor compliance and leads to unnecessary burden, stress and medicolegal liability for birth attendants. Modification of current national guidelines would be desirable.

  10. Dynamic classification of fetal heart rates by hierarchical Dirichlet process mixture models.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kezi Yu

    Full Text Available In this paper, we propose an application of non-parametric Bayesian (NPB models for classification of fetal heart rate (FHR recordings. More specifically, we propose models that are used to differentiate between FHR recordings that are from fetuses with or without adverse outcomes. In our work, we rely on models based on hierarchical Dirichlet processes (HDP and the Chinese restaurant process with finite capacity (CRFC. Two mixture models were inferred from real recordings, one that represents healthy and another, non-healthy fetuses. The models were then used to classify new recordings and provide the probability of the fetus being healthy. First, we compared the classification performance of the HDP models with that of support vector machines on real data and concluded that the HDP models achieved better performance. Then we demonstrated the use of mixture models based on CRFC for dynamic classification of the performance of (FHR recordings in a real-time setting.

  11. Low-complexity R-peak detection as a first step in ambulatory fetal monitoring

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rooijakkers, M.J.; Rabotti, C.; Mischi, M.

    2012-01-01

    Fetal Heart Rate (fHR) monitoring and derivation of the fetal electrocardiogram (fECG) are important in assessing fetal distress during pregnancy and delivery. Currently used methods of obtaining the fECG using an invasive scalp electrode are however not suited for long term observation throughout

  12. Outcomes in Continuing Pregnancies Diagnosed with a Severe Fetal Abnormality and Implication of Antenatal Neonatology Consultation: A 10-Year Retrospective Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hostalery, Laura; Tosello, Barthélémy

    2017-06-01

    To describe a population choosing to continue their pregnancy despite a severe fetal abnormality and to evaluate the role of antenatal neonatology consultation in perinatal decision-making. A 10-year (2005-2015) retrospective descriptive study in a single Multidisciplinary Prenatal Diagnosis Center in South France. A series of pregnancies with severe fetal abnormalities were collected by a person outside the decision making process and/or the child's care. Thirty-nine pregnancies were included, among which 12 couples chose the perinatal palliative care. In total, there were 25 live births (10 later died, with median of survival of 52.5 h [16-943.5]); only five infants received a palliative care plan at birth. The choice to continue a pregnancy diagnosed with severe fetal pathology is on the rise in France. Treatment options point to standardize perinatal palliative care provided by trained perinatal professionals using standardized practices.

  13. Nonlinear analysis of fetal heart rate dynamics in fetuses compromised by asymptomatic partial placental abruption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Won-Young; Hoh, Jeong-Kyu

    2015-12-01

    We analyzed fetal heart rate (FHR) parameters, dynamics, and outcomes in pregnancies with asymptomatic partial placental abruption (PPA) compared with those in normal pregnancies. We examined nonstress test (NST) data acquired from 2003 to 2012 at our institution. Normal pregnancies (N = 170) and PPA cases (N = 17) were matched for gestational age, fetal sex, and mean FHR. NSTs were performed at 33-42 weeks of gestation. FHR parameters obtained from the NST and perinatal outcomes were analyzed using linear methods. Nonlinear indices, including approximate entropy (ApEn), sample entropy (SampEn), short-term and long-term scaling exponents (α1 and α2), and correlation dimension (CD), were used to interpret FHR dynamics and system complexity. The area under a receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the nonlinear indices. There were no significant differences in general characteristics and FHR parameters between the PPA and control groups. However, gestational age at delivery, birth weight, 5-min Apgar scores, ApEn, SampEn, and CD were significantly lower in the PPA group than in the control group (P Nonlinear dynamic indices of FHR in asymptomatic PPA were qualitatively different from those in normal pregnancies, whereas the conventional FHR parameters were not significantly different. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Pregnancy continuation and organizational religious activity following prenatal diagnosis of a lethal fetal defect are associated with improved psychological outcome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cope, Heidi; Garrett, Melanie E; Gregory, Simon; Ashley-Koch, Allison

    2015-08-01

    The aim of the article is to examine the psychological impact, specifically symptoms of grief, post-traumatic stress and depression, in women and men who either terminated or continued a pregnancy following prenatal diagnosis of a lethal fetal defect. This project investigated a diagnostically homogeneous group composed of 158 women and 109 men who lost a pregnancy to anencephaly, a lethal neural tube defect. Participants completed the Perinatal Grief Scale, Impact of Event Scale - Revised and Beck Depression Inventory-II, which measure symptoms of grief, post-traumatic stress and depression, respectively. Demographics, religiosity and pregnancy choices were also collected. Gender-specific analysis of variance was performed for instrument total scores and subscales. Women who terminated reported significantly more despair (p = 0.02), avoidance (p = 0.008) and depression (p = 0.04) than women who continued the pregnancy. Organizational religious activity was associated with a reduction in grief (Perinatal Grief Scale subscales) in both women (p = 0.02, p = 0.04 and p = 0.03) and men (p = 0.047). There appears to be a psychological benefit to women to continue the pregnancy following a lethal fetal diagnosis. Following a lethal fetal diagnosis, the risks and benefits, including psychological effects, of termination and continuation of pregnancy should be discussed in detail with an effort to be as nondirective as possible. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  15. Fetal effects of combined spinal-epidural vs epidural labour analgesia: a prospective, randomised double-blind study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patel, N P; El-Wahab, N; Fernando, R; Wilson, S; Robson, S C; Columb, M O; Lyons, G R

    2014-05-01

    We have compared fetal heart rate patterns, Apgar scores and umbilical cord gas values following initiation of labour analgesia using either combined spinal-epidural or epidural. One hundred and fifteen healthy women requesting neuraxial analgesia in the first stage of labour were randomly assigned to receive either combined spinal-epidural (n = 62) or epidural analgesia (n = 53). Fetal heart rate traces, recorded for 30 min before and 60 min after neuraxial block, were categorised as normal, suspicious or pathological according to national guidelines. Sixty-one fetal heart rate tracings were analysed in the combined spinal-epidural group and 52 in the epidural group. No significant differences were found in fetal heart rate patterns, Apgar scores or umbilical artery and vein acid-base status between groups. However, in both combined spinal-epidural and epidural groups, there was a significant increase in the incidence of abnormal fetal heart rate patterns following neuraxial analgesia (p analgesia in the combined spinal-epidural group and zero before compared with 11 after in the epidural group. These changes comprised increased decelerations (p = 0.0045) (combined spinal-epidural group nine before and 14 after analgesia, epidural group four before and 16 after), increased late decelerations (p analgesia, epidural group zero before and eight after), and a reduction in acceleration rate (p = 0.034) (combined spinal-epidural group mean (SD) 12.2 (6.7) h(-1) before and 9.9 (6.1) h(-1) after analgesia, epidural group 11.0 (7.3) h(-1) before and 8.4 (5.9) h(-1) after). These fetal heart rate changes did not affect neonatal outcome in this healthy population. © 2014 The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.

  16. Fetal growth and later maternal death, cardiovascular disease and diabetes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lykke, Jacob A; Paidas, Michael J; Triche, Elizabeth W

    2012-01-01

    Low birthweight of the offspring has been associated with increased risk of early death and ischemic heart disease in the mother. However, other measurements of fetal growth than the basic birthweight are more accurate. We investigated the relation between the standardized birthweight by gestatio......Low birthweight of the offspring has been associated with increased risk of early death and ischemic heart disease in the mother. However, other measurements of fetal growth than the basic birthweight are more accurate. We investigated the relation between the standardized birthweight...... by gestational age and gender and the ponderal index and the mother's subsequent mortality and cardiovascular morbidity....

  17. Ultrasound diagnosis and monitoring of fetal tachyarrhythmias

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu.А. Ivaniv

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The aim – to evaluate the efficiency of prenatal echocardiography in detecting, differential diagnosis and monitoring fetuses with tachyarrhythmias. Materials and methods. Investigations performed in a single center from April 1996 to July 2016 were analysed. During this study 2,073 pregnant women were examined and 213 cases of fetal arrhythmia were found (10.3 %. Prenatal echocardiography was conducted by general protocol, each examination were fixed and saved in electronic and paper form. Results. During this period 25 cases of fetal tachyarrhythmias were diagnosed, representing 11.7 % of all cases of arrhythmia and 1.2 % of all fetal heart examinations. In five fetuses tachyarrhythmia was combined with structural heart disorders, which constitutes 20 % among all tachyarrhythmias. Most fetal tachyarrhythmias (21 were diagnosed during third trimester of pregnancy. The most common fetal tachyarrhythmia was atrioventricular «re-entry» tachycardia – 14 cases (56 %. None case of this group was combined with structural cardiac pathology, however, almost half were accompanied by hemodynamic complications. Drug treatment was effective in this group. Atrial fibrillation was second prevalent in our study, 4 cases (16 % – dangerous arrhythmia, which in most fetuses caused circulatory failure, being combined with congenital heart defect or myocardial pathology. Drug treatment in this group is less effective, depending on comorbidity and age pregnancy. We diagnosed 4 cases of sinus tachycardia (16 %, largely having benign course in the prenatal period and not requiring drug treatment. Prognosis of pregnancy is determined by concomitant diseases of the fetus. One case (4 % of atrial flutter required preterm delivery through the hemodynamic complications. Ectopic atrial tachycardia was diagnosed in two fetuses (8 %. This arrhythmia is insensitive to medical treatment and may persist after birth. Conclusions. Clinical management of pregnancy, the need

  18. Biomedical Instruments for Fetal and Neonatal Surveillance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rolfe, P; Scopesi, F; Serra, G

    2006-01-01

    Specialised instruments have been developed to aid the care of the fetus and the newborn baby. Miniature sensors using optical, electrical, chemical, mechanical and magnetic principles have been produced for capturing key measurands. These include temperature, pressure, flow and dimension, as well as several specific molecules such as glucose, oxygen and carbon dioxide. During pregnancy ultrasound imaging and blood flow techniques provide valuable information concerning fetal abnormalities, fetal growth, fetal breathing and fetal heart rate. Signal processing and pattern recognition can be useful for deriving indicators of fetal distress and clinical status, based on biopotentials as well as ultrasound signals. Fetal pH measurement is a critical requirement during labour and delivery. The intensive care of ill preterm babies involves provision of an optimal thermal environment and respiratory support. Monitoring of blood gas and acid-base status is essential, and this involves both blood sampling for in vitro analysis as well as the use of invasive or non-invasive sensors. For the future it will be vital that the technologies used are subjected to controlled trials to establish benefit or otherwise

  19. Awareness of fetal echo in Indian scenario

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Warrier, Dhanya; Saraf, Rahul; Maheshwari, Sunita; Suresh, PV; Shah, Sejal

    2012-01-01

    Fetal echocardiography is a well established sensitive tool to diagnose congenital heart disease (CHD) in utero. One of the determinants of effective utilization of fetal echocardiography is its awareness in the general population. The present hospital based study was undertaken to assess the awareness of the need for fetal echocardiography amongst Indian parents. One thousand one hundred and thirty eight consecutive parents who visited the pediatric cardiology outpatient department of a tertiary care centre over a period of two months were asked to fill up a questionnaire that included their demographic data, educational status, history of CHD in children, awareness of fetal echocardiography and source of information and timing of fetal echocardiogram if performed. The data was categorized and awareness was noted in different groups. The awareness in the study population was 2.2%. Awareness was found to be similar across the study population irrespective of the demographics and high risk status of the parents. The awareness of fetal echocardiography, an important tool in reducing the incidence of complex CHD, thereby impacting public health, is alarmingly low in the population studied. Appropriate action to increase awareness of fetal echocardiography needs to be looked into

  20. Quantitative comparison of entropy analysis of fetal heart rate variability related to the different stages of labor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Jongil; Kwon, Ji Young; Song, Juhee; Choi, Hosoon; Shin, Jong Chul; Park, In Yang

    2014-02-01

    The interpretation of the fetal heart rate (FHR) signal considering labor progression may improve perinatal morbidity and mortality. However, there have been few studies that evaluate the fetus in each labor stage quantitatively. To evaluate whether the entropy indices of FHR are different according to labor progression. A retrospective comparative study of FHR recordings in three groups: 280 recordings in the second stage of labor before vaginal delivery, 31 recordings in the first stage of labor before emergency cesarean delivery, and 23 recordings in the pre-labor before elective cesarean delivery. The stored FHR recordings of external cardiotocography during labor. Approximate entropy (ApEn) and sample entropy (SampEn) for the final 2000 RR intervals. The median ApEn and SampEn for the 2000 RR intervals showed the lowest values in the second stage of labor, followed by the emergency cesarean group and the elective cesarean group for all time segments (all PEntropy indices of FHR were significantly different according to labor progression. This result supports the necessity of considering labor progression when developing intrapartum fetal monitoring using the entropy indices of FHR. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Cardiovascular cast model fabrication and casting effectiveness evaluation in fetus with severe congenital heart disease or normal heart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yu; Cao, Hai-yan; Xie, Ming-xing; He, Lin; Han, Wei; Hong, Liu; Peng, Yuan; Hu, Yun-fei; Song, Ben-cai; Wang, Jing; Wang, Bin; Deng, Cheng

    2016-04-01

    To investigate the application and effectiveness of vascular corrosion technique in preparing fetal cardiovascular cast models, 10 normal fetal heart specimens with other congenital disease (control group) and 18 specimens with severe congenital heart disease (case group) from induced abortions were enrolled in this study from March 2013 to June 2015 in our hospital. Cast models were prepared by injecting casting material into vascular lumen to demonstrate real geometries of fetal cardiovascular system. Casting effectiveness was analyzed in terms of local anatomic structures and different anatomical levels (including overall level, atrioventricular and great vascular system, left-sided and right-sided heart), as well as different trimesters of pregnancy. In our study, all specimens were successfully casted. Casting effectiveness analysis of local anatomic structures showed a mean score from 1.90±1.45 to 3.60±0.52, without significant differences between case and control groups in most local anatomic structures except left ventricle, which had a higher score in control group (P=0.027). Inter-group comparison of casting effectiveness in different anatomical levels showed no significant differences between the two groups. Intra-group comparison also revealed undifferentiated casting effectiveness between atrioventricular and great vascular system, or left-sided and right-sided heart in corresponding group. Third-trimester group had a significantly higher perfusion score in great vascular system than second-trimester group (P=0.046), while the other anatomical levels displayed no such difference. Vascular corrosion technique can be successfully used in fabrication of fetal cardiovascular cast model. It is also a reliable method to demonstrate three-dimensional anatomy of severe congenital heart disease and normal heart in fetus.

  2. Evidence of cardiac involvement in the fetal inflammatory response syndrome: disruption of gene networks programming cardiac development in nonhuman primates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Timothy; MacDonald, James W; Srinouanpranchanh, Sengkeo; Bammler, Theodor K; Merillat, Sean; Boldenow, Erica; Coleman, Michelle; Agnew, Kathy; Baldessari, Audrey; Stencel-Baerenwald, Jennifer E; Tisoncik-Go, Jennifer; Green, Richard R; Gale, Michael J; Rajagopal, Lakshmi; Adams Waldorf, Kristina M

    2018-04-01

    Most early preterm births are associated with intraamniotic infection and inflammation, which can lead to systemic inflammation in the fetus. The fetal inflammatory response syndrome describes elevations in the fetal interleukin-6 level, which is a marker for inflammation and fetal organ injury. An understanding of the effects of inflammation on fetal cardiac development may lead to insight into the fetal origins of adult cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the fetal inflammatory response syndrome is associated with disruptions in gene networks that program fetal cardiac development. We obtained fetal cardiac tissue after necropsy from a well-described pregnant nonhuman primate model (pigtail macaque, Macaca nemestrina) of intrauterine infection (n=5) and controls (n=5). Cases with the fetal inflammatory response syndrome (fetal plasma interleukin-6 >11 pg/mL) were induced by either choriodecidual inoculation of a hypervirulent group B streptococcus strain (n=4) or intraamniotic inoculation of Escherichia coli (n=1). RNA and protein were extracted from fetal hearts and profiled by microarray and Luminex (Millipore, Billerica, MA) for cytokine analysis, respectively. Results were validated by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Statistical and bioinformatics analyses included single gene analysis, gene set analysis, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (Qiagen, Valencia, CA), and Wilcoxon rank sum. Severe fetal inflammation developed in the context of intraamniotic infection and a disseminated bacterial infection in the fetus. Interleukin-6 and -8 in fetal cardiac tissues were elevated significantly in fetal inflammatory response syndrome cases vs controls (P1.5-fold change, P<.05) in the fetal heart (analysis of variance). Altered expression of select genes was validated by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction that included several with known functions in cardiac injury, morphogenesis

  3. Imaging techniques for visualizing and phenotyping congenital heart defects in murine models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xiaoqin; Tobita, Kimimasa; Francis, Richard J B; Lo, Cecilia W

    2013-06-01

    Mouse model is ideal for investigating the genetic and developmental etiology of congenital heart disease. However, cardiovascular phenotyping for the precise diagnosis of structural heart defects in mice remain challenging. With rapid advances in imaging techniques, there are now high throughput phenotyping tools available for the diagnosis of structural heart defects. In this review, we discuss the efficacy of four different imaging modalities for congenital heart disease diagnosis in fetal/neonatal mice, including noninvasive fetal echocardiography, micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), micro-magnetic resonance imaging (micro-MRI), and episcopic fluorescence image capture (EFIC) histopathology. The experience we have gained in the use of these imaging modalities in a large-scale mouse mutagenesis screen have validated their efficacy for congenital heart defect diagnosis in the tiny hearts of fetal and newborn mice. These cutting edge phenotyping tools will be invaluable for furthering our understanding of the developmental etiology of congenital heart disease. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. Fluid mechanics of blood flow in human fetal left ventricles based on patient-specific 4D ultrasound scans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Chang Quan; Lim, Guat Ling; Jamil, Muhammad; Mattar, Citra Nurfarah Zaini; Biswas, Arijit; Yap, Choon Hwai

    2016-10-01

    The mechanics of intracardiac blood flow and the epigenetic influence it exerts over the heart function have been the subjects of intense research lately. Fetal intracardiac flows are especially useful for gaining insights into the development of congenital heart diseases, but have not received due attention thus far, most likely because of technical difficulties in collecting sufficient intracardiac flow data in a safe manner. Here, we circumvent such obstacles by employing 4D STIC ultrasound scans to quantify the fetal heart motion in three normal 20-week fetuses, subsequently performing 3D computational fluid dynamics simulations on the left ventricles based on these patient-specific heart movements. Analysis of the simulation results shows that there are significant differences between fetal and adult ventricular blood flows which arise because of dissimilar heart morphology, E/A ratio, diastolic-systolic duration ratio, and heart rate. The formations of ventricular vortex rings were observed for both E- and A-wave in the flow simulations. These vortices had sufficient momentum to last until the end of diastole and were responsible for generating significant wall shear stresses on the myocardial endothelium, as well as helicity in systolic outflow. Based on findings from previous studies, we hypothesized that these vortex-induced flow properties play an important role in sustaining the efficiency of diastolic filling, systolic pumping, and cardiovascular flow in normal fetal hearts.

  5. Therapeutic amnioinfusion for intrapartum fetal distress using a pediatric feeding tube.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdel-Aleem, H; Amin, A F; Shokry, M; Radwan, R A

    2005-08-01

    To evaluate the role of therapeutic amnioinfusion using a pediatric feeding tube in cases of intrapartum fetal distress. A randomized clinical trial including 438 women admitted in labor at Assiut University Hospital with nonreassuring fetal heart rate tracing. Using sealed opaque envelopes, the women were randomized to 2 groups. In the amnioinfusion group they underwent transcervical amnioinfusion (1000 mL of warmed sterile saline solution) in addition to conventional treatment. In the control group they received conventional treatment only. The primary outcome was cesarean section rate for fetal distress. The secondary outcomes were neonatal and maternal complications. The amnioinfusion group showed a significant reduction in the rate of cesarean section for fetal distress (relative risk [RR], 0.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.6-0.83), and a 30% reduction in abnormal fetal heart rate patterns (RR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.6-0.83). Significantly fewer newborns had Apgar scores less than 7 at 1 and 5 min in the amnioinfusion group than in the control group (RR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.26-0.55 and RR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.15-0.64, respectively). Significantly fewer newborns had meconium below the vocal cords in the amnioinfusion group than in the control group (RR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.13-0.97). Moreover, 14 newborns in the amnioinfusion group needed admission to the intensive care unit vs. 31 newborns in the control group. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups regarding the incidence rates of uterine hypertonus and maternal temperature higher than 38 degrees C. Therapeutic amnioinfusion is a simple and effective intervention that reduces the rates of cesarean section for intrapartum nonreassuring fetal heart tracing. In under-resourced settings, it can be performed using inexpensive catheters.

  6. Umbilical nucleated red blood cell as a sign of fetal distress

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Torkestani F

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available Background: The presence of increased numbers of nucleated red blood cell (NRBC in the umbilical cord blood has been associated with states of relative hypoxia. Nucleated red blood cell counts are a potentially useful tool in estimating the degree and timing of intrauterine hypoxia. This may have important implication in determining causality in case of compromised infant. Cord blood NRBC counts may be obtained noninvasively from an otherwise discarded specimen and analyzed by personnel on equipment readily available in most hospital laboratories. Since the aim of monitoring of fetal heart is early diagnosis of hypoxia, we studied the relationship between abnormal fetal heart rate with the number of nucleated red blood cells (NRBC in the umbilical cord blood.Methods: We performed this research at Hazrat Zeynab Hospital on 130 full-term newborns (65 cases of fetal distress and 65 normal cases between July 2005 and July 2006. The NRBC counts of newborns with abnormal fetal heart rate were compared with those of normal newborns and correlations with other parameters including Apgar score, hemoglobin level, condition of newborns in the first 24 hours of the birth and birth weight.Results: The mean NRBC count in the fetal distress group was 9.45 ± 8.75 and that of the normal group was 9.17 ± 8.76 per 100 white cells (p=0.89. The mean duration between diagnosis of fetal distress to birth was equal to 1.2± 0.77 hours. Furthermore, there was no meaningful correlation between number of NRBC and Apgar score, hemoglobin, birth weight and condition of newborns in the first 24 hours.Conclusion: If the fetus is born a short time after the diagnosis of distress with no risk factors for hypoxia, the NRBC count for cord blood is not elevated.

  7. Studies in Fetal Behavior: Revisited, Renewed, and Reimagined

    OpenAIRE

    DiPietro, Janet A.; Costigan, Kathleen A.; Voegtline, Kristin M.

    2015-01-01

    Among the earliest volumes of this Monograph series was a report by Lester Sontag and colleagues, of the esteemed Fels Institute, on the heart rate of the human fetus as an expression of the developing nervous system. Here, some 75 years later, we commemorate this work and provide historical and contemporary context on knowledge regarding fetal development, as well as results from our own research. These are based on synchronized monitoring of maternal and fetal parameters assessed between 24...

  8. Bio-magnetic signatures of fetal breathing movement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ulusar, U D; Wilson, J D; Murphy, P; Govindan, R B; Preissl, H; Lowery, C L; Eswaran, H

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of fetal magnetoencephalography (fMEG) is to record and analyze fetal brain activity. Unavoidably, these recordings consist of a complex mixture of bio-magnetic signals from both mother and fetus. The acquired data include biological signals that are related to maternal and fetal heart function as well as fetal gross body and breathing movements. Since fetal breathing generates a significant source of bio-magnetic interference during these recordings, the goal of this study was to identify and quantify the signatures pertaining to fetal breathing movements (FBM). The fMEG signals were captured using superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) The existence of FBM was verified and recorded concurrently by an ultrasound-based video technique. This simultaneous recording is challenging since SQUIDs are extremely sensitive to magnetic signals and highly susceptible to interference from electronic equipment. For each recording, an ultrasound-FBM (UFBM) signal was extracted by tracing the displacement of the boundary defined by the fetal thorax frame by frame. The start of each FBM was identified by using the peak points of the UFBM signal. The bio-magnetic signals associated with FBM were obtained by averaging the bio-magnetic signals time locked to the FBMs. The results showed the existence of a distinctive sinusoidal signal pattern of FBM in fMEG data

  9. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for fetal oxygenation during maternal hypoxia: initial results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wedegaertner, U.; Adam, G. [Abt. fuer Diagnostische und Interventionelle Radiologie, Klinik und Poliklinik fuer Radiologie, UKE Hamburg (Germany); Tchirikov, M.; Schroeder, H. [Abt. fuer experimentelle Gynaekologie der Universitaetsfrauenklinik, Klinik und Poliklinik fuer Frauenheilkunde, UKE, Hamburg (Germany); Koch, M. [Klinik und Poliklinik fuer Neurologie, UKE Hamburg (Germany)

    2002-06-01

    Purpose: To investigate the potential of fMRI to measure changes in fetal tissue oxygenation during acute maternal hypoxia in fetal lambs. Material and Methods: Two ewes carrying singleton fetuses (gestational age 125 and 131 days) underwent MR imaging under inhalation anesthesia. BOLD imaging of the fetal brain, liver and myocardium was performed during acute maternal hypoxia (oxygen replaced by N{sub 2}O). Maternal oxygen saturation and heart rate were monitored by a pulse-oxymeter attached to the maternal tongue. Results: Changes of fetal tissue oxygenation during maternal hypoxia were clearly visible with BOLD MRI. Signal intensity decreases were more distinct in liver and heart ({proportional_to}40%) from control than in the fetal brain ({proportional_to}10%). Conclusions: fMRI is a promising diagnostic tool to determine fetal tissue oxygenation and may open new opportunities in monitoring fetal well being in high risk pregnancies complicated by uteroplacentar insufficiency. Different signal changes in liver/heart and brain may reflect a centralization of the fetal blood flow. (orig.) [German] Ziel: Untersuchung des Potentiales der funktionellen MRT (BOLD) in der Darstellung von Veraenderungen in der Sauerstoffsaettigung fetaler Gewebe waehrend akuter materner Hypoxie bei fetalen Laemmern. Material und Methoden: Die MR-Untersuchung wurde an zwei Mutterschafen mit 125 und 131 Tage alten Feten in Inhalationsnarkose durchgefuehrt. Die BOLD Messungen von fetaler Leber, Myokard und Gehirn erfolgten waehrend einer akuten Hypoxiephase des Muttertieres, in der Sauerstoff durch N{sub 2}O ersetzt wurde. Die materne Sauerstoffsaettigung und Herzfrequenz wurde durch ein Pulsoxymeter ueberwacht. Ergebnisse: Aenderungen der fetalen Gewebsoxygenierung waehrend einer akuten Hypoxiephase der Mutter waren mit der BOLD-MR-Bildgebung deutlich darstellbar. In der fetalen Leber und dem Myokard zeigte sich ein staerkerer Signalabfall um ca. 40% von den Kontrollwerten als im fetalen

  10. The event synchronous canceller algorithm removes maternal ECG from abdominal signals without affecting the fetal ECG

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ungureanu, G.M.; Bergmans, J.W.M.; Oei, S.G.; Ungureanu, A.; Wolf, W.

    2009-01-01

    Fetal monitoring using abdominally recorded signals (ADS) allows physicians to detect occurring changes in the well-being state of the fetus from the beginning of pregnancy. Mainly based on the fetal electrocardiogram (fECG), it provides the long-term fetal heart rate (fHR) and assessment of the

  11. Cuffless and Continuous Blood Pressure Estimation from the Heart Sound Signals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rong-Chao Peng

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Cardiovascular disease, like hypertension, is one of the top killers of human life and early detection of cardiovascular disease is of great importance. However, traditional medical devices are often bulky and expensive, and unsuitable for home healthcare. In this paper, we proposed an easy and inexpensive technique to estimate continuous blood pressure from the heart sound signals acquired by the microphone of a smartphone. A cold-pressor experiment was performed in 32 healthy subjects, with a smartphone to acquire heart sound signals and with a commercial device to measure continuous blood pressure. The Fourier spectrum of the second heart sound and the blood pressure were regressed using a support vector machine, and the accuracy of the regression was evaluated using 10-fold cross-validation. Statistical analysis showed that the mean correlation coefficients between the predicted values from the regression model and the measured values from the commercial device were 0.707, 0.712, and 0.748 for systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure, respectively, and that the mean errors were less than 5 mmHg, with standard deviations less than 8 mmHg. These results suggest that this technique is of potential use for cuffless and continuous blood pressure monitoring and it has promising application in home healthcare services.

  12. Fetal Cardiac Doppler Signal Processing Techniques: Challenges and Future Research Directions

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    Saeed Abdulrahman Alnuaimi

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The fetal Doppler Ultrasound (DUS is commonly used for monitoring fetal heart rate and can also be used for identifying the event timings of fetal cardiac valve motions. In early-stage fetuses, the detected Doppler signal suffers from noise and signal loss due to the fetal movements and changing fetal location during the measurement procedure. The fetal cardiac intervals, which can be estimated by measuring the fetal cardiac event timings, are the most important markers of fetal development and well-being. To advance DUS-based fetal monitoring methods, several powerful and well-advanced signal processing and machine learning methods have recently been developed. This review provides an overview of the existing techniques used in fetal cardiac activity monitoring and a comprehensive survey on fetal cardiac Doppler signal processing frameworks. The review is structured with a focus on their shortcomings and advantages, which helps in understanding fetal Doppler cardiogram signal processing methods and the related Doppler signal analysis procedures by providing valuable clinical information. Finally, a set of recommendations are suggested for future research directions and the use of fetal cardiac Doppler signal analysis, processing, and modeling to address the underlying challenges.

  13. Heart rate and flow velocity variability as determined from umbilical Doppler velocimetry at 10-20 weeks of gestation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ursem, N T; Struijk, P C; Hop, W C; Clark, E B; Keller, B B; Wladimiroff, J W

    1998-11-01

    1. The aim of this study was to define from umbilical artery flow velocity waveforms absolute peak systolic and time-averaged velocity, fetal heart rate, fetal heart rate variability and flow velocity variability, and the relation between fetal heart rate and velocity variables in early pregnancy.2.A total of 108 women presenting with a normal pregnancy from 10 to 20 weeks of gestation consented to participate in a cross-sectional study design. Doppler ultrasound recordings were made from the free-floating loop of the umbilical cord.3. Umbilical artery peak systolic and time-averaged velocity increased at 10-20 weeks, whereas fetal heart rate decreased at 10-15 weeks of gestation and plateaued thereafter. Umbilical artery peak systolic velocity variability and fetal heart rate variability increased at 10-20 and 15-20 weeks respectively.4. The inverse relationship between umbilical artery flow velocity and fetal heart rate at 10-15 weeks of gestation suggests that the Frank-Starling mechanism regulates cardiovascular control as early as the late first and early second trimesters of pregnancy. A different underlying mechanism is suggested for the observed variability profiles in heart rate and umbilical artery peak systolic velocity. It is speculated that heart rate variability is mediated by maturation of the parasympathetic nervous system, whereas peak systolic velocity variability reflects the activation of a haemodynamic feedback mechanism.

  14. Transitional change in rat fetal cell proliferation in response to ghrelin and des-acyl ghrelin during the last stage of pregnancy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Inoue, Yoshiyuki; Nakahara, Keiko [Department of Veterinary Physiology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-2192 (Japan); Kangawa, Kenji [Department of Biochemistry, National Cardiovascular Center Research Institute, Fujishirodai 5-7-1, Suita, Osaka 565-8565 (Japan); Murakami, Noboru, E-mail: a0d201u@cc.miyazaki-u.ac.jp [Department of Veterinary Physiology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-2192 (Japan)

    2010-03-12

    Expression of mRNA for the ghrelin receptor, GHS-R1a, was detected in various peripheral and central tissues of fetal rats, including skin, bone, heart, liver, gut, brain and spinal cord, on embryonic day (ED)15 and ED17. However, its expression in skin, bone, heart and liver, but not in gut, brain and spinal cord, became relatively weak on ED19 and disappeared after birth (ND2). Ghrelin and des-acyl ghrelin facilitated the proliferation of cultured fetal (ED17, 19), but not neonatal (ND2), skin cells. On the other hand, with regard to cells from the spinal cord and hypothalamus, the proliferative effect of ghrelin continued after birth, whereas the effect of des-acyl ghrelin on neurogenesis in these tissues was lost at the ED19 fetal and ND2 neonatal stages. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the cells in the hypothalamus induced to proliferate by ghrelin at the ND2 stage were positive for nestin and glial fibrillary acidic protein. These results suggest that in the period immediately prior to, and after birth, rat fetal cells showing proliferation in response to ghrelin and des-acyl ghrelin are at a transitional stage characterized by alteration of the expression of GHS-R1a and an undefined des-acyl ghrelin receptor, their responsiveness varying among different tissues.

  15. Transitional change in rat fetal cell proliferation in response to ghrelin and des-acyl ghrelin during the last stage of pregnancy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inoue, Yoshiyuki; Nakahara, Keiko; Kangawa, Kenji; Murakami, Noboru

    2010-01-01

    Expression of mRNA for the ghrelin receptor, GHS-R1a, was detected in various peripheral and central tissues of fetal rats, including skin, bone, heart, liver, gut, brain and spinal cord, on embryonic day (ED)15 and ED17. However, its expression in skin, bone, heart and liver, but not in gut, brain and spinal cord, became relatively weak on ED19 and disappeared after birth (ND2). Ghrelin and des-acyl ghrelin facilitated the proliferation of cultured fetal (ED17, 19), but not neonatal (ND2), skin cells. On the other hand, with regard to cells from the spinal cord and hypothalamus, the proliferative effect of ghrelin continued after birth, whereas the effect of des-acyl ghrelin on neurogenesis in these tissues was lost at the ED19 fetal and ND2 neonatal stages. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the cells in the hypothalamus induced to proliferate by ghrelin at the ND2 stage were positive for nestin and glial fibrillary acidic protein. These results suggest that in the period immediately prior to, and after birth, rat fetal cells showing proliferation in response to ghrelin and des-acyl ghrelin are at a transitional stage characterized by alteration of the expression of GHS-R1a and an undefined des-acyl ghrelin receptor, their responsiveness varying among different tissues.

  16. SLC9B1 methylation predicts fetal intolerance of labor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knight, Anna K; Conneely, Karen N; Kilaru, Varun; Cobb, Dawayland; Payne, Jennifer L; Meilman, Samantha; Corwin, Elizabeth J; Kaminsky, Zachary A; Dunlop, Anne L; Smith, Alicia K

    2018-01-01

    Fetal intolerance of labor is a common indication for delivery by Caesarean section. Diagnosis is based on the presence of category III fetal heart rate tracing, which is an abnormal heart tracing associated with increased likelihood of fetal hypoxia and metabolic acidemia. This study analyzed data from 177 unique women who, during their prenatal visits (7-15 weeks and/or 24-32 weeks) to Atlanta area prenatal care clinics, consented to provide blood samples for DNA methylation (HumanMethylation450 BeadChip) and gene expression (Human HT-12 v4 Expression BeadChip) analyses. We focused on 57 women aged 18-36 (mean 25.4), who had DNA methylation data available from their second prenatal visit. DNA methylation patterns at CpG sites across the genome were interrogated for associations with fetal intolerance of labor. Four CpG sites (P value intolerance of labor. DNA methylation and gene expression were negatively associated when examined longitudinally during pregnancy using a linear mixed-effects model. Positive predictive values of methylation of these four sites ranged from 0.80 to 0.89, while negative predictive values ranged from 0.91 to 0.92. The four CpG sites were also associated with fetal intolerance of labor in an independent cohort (the Johns Hopkins Prospective PPD cohort). Therefore, fetal intolerance of labor could be accurately predicted from maternal blood samples obtained between 24-32 weeks gestation. Fetal intolerance of labor may be accurately predicted from maternal blood samples obtained between 24-32 weeks gestation by assessing DNA methylation patterns of SLC9B1. The identification of pregnant women at elevated risk for fetal intolerance of labor may allow for the development of targeted treatments or management plans.

  17. Fetal cardiac remodeling in twin pregnancy conceived by assisted reproductive technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valenzuela-Alcaraz, B; Cruz-Lemini, M; Rodríguez-López, M; Goncé, A; García-Otero, L; Ayuso, H; Sitges, M; Bijnens, B; Balasch, J; Gratacós, E; Crispi, F

    2018-01-01

    Recent data suggest that singleton fetuses conceived by assisted reproductive technology (ART) present cardiovascular remodeling that may persist postnatally. Twin pregnancies are more frequent in the ART population and are associated with increased adverse perinatal outcomes, such as hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes and preterm birth. However, it is unknown whether cardiac remodeling is also present in twin pregnancies conceived by ART. Our aim was to assess the presence of fetal cardiac remodeling and dysfunction in twin pregnancies conceived by ART as compared with those conceived spontaneously (SC). This was a prospective cohort study including 50 dichorionic twin fetuses conceived by ART and 50 SC twin fetuses. The study protocol included collection of baseline/perinatal data and a fetal ultrasound examination at 28-30 weeks' gestation, including assessment of estimated fetal weight, fetoplacental Doppler and fetal echocardiography. Measurements of atrial area, atrial/heart ratio, ventricular sphericity index, free wall thickness, mitral and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursions, and systolic and early diastolic peak velocities were assessed. Multilevel analyses were used to compare perinatal and ultrasonographic parameters. Comparisons of echocardiographic variables were adjusted for parental age, paternal body mass index and incidence of pre-eclampsia. Compared with SC twins, ART twin fetuses showed significant cardiac changes, predominantly affecting the right heart, such as dilated atria (right atrial/heart area: 15.7 ± 3.1 vs 18.4 ± 3.2, P fetal cardiac programing in ART. These results open opportunities for early detection and intervention in infants conceived by ART. Copyright © 2017 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Copyright © 2017 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. Subclinical decelerations during developing hypotension in preterm fetal sheep after acute on chronic lipopolysaccharide exposure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lear, Christopher A.; Davidson, Joanne O.; Galinsky, Robert; Yuill, Caroline A.; Wassink, Guido; Booth, Lindsea C.; Drury, Paul P.; Bennet, Laura; Gunn, Alistair J.

    2015-01-01

    Subclinical (shallow) heart rate decelerations occur during neonatal sepsis, but there is limited information on their relationship with hypotension or whether they occur before birth. We examined whether subclinical decelerations, a fall in fetal heart rate (FHR) that remained above 100 bpm, were associated with hypotension in preterm fetal sheep exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Chronically-instrumented fetal sheep at 0.7 gestation received continuous low-dose LPS infusions (n = 15, 100 ng/kg over 24 h, followed by 250 ng/kg/24 h for 96 h) or saline (n = 8). Boluses of 1 μg LPS or saline were given at 48 and 72 h. FHR variability (FHRV) was calculated, and sample asymmetry was used to assess the severity and frequency of decelerations. Low-dose LPS infusion did not affect FHR. After the first LPS bolus, 7 fetuses remained normotensive, while 8 developed hypotension (a fall in mean arterial blood pressure of ≥5 mmHg). Developing hypotension was associated with subclinical decelerations, with a corresponding increase in sample asymmetry and FHRV (p < 0.05). The second LPS bolus was associated with similar but attenuated changes in FHR and blood pressure (p < 0.05). In conclusion, subclinical decelerations are not consistently seen during prenatal exposure to LPS, but may be a useful marker of developing inflammation-related hypotension before birth. PMID:26537688

  19. The Danish fetal medicine database

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ekelund, Charlotte Kvist; Kopp, Tine Iskov; Tabor, Ann

    2016-01-01

    trimester ultrasound scan performed at all public hospitals in Denmark are registered in the database. Main variables/descriptive data: Data on maternal characteristics, ultrasonic, and biochemical variables are continuously sent from the fetal medicine units’Astraia databases to the central database via...... analyses are sent to the database. Conclusion: It has been possible to establish a fetal medicine database, which monitors first-trimester screening for chromosomal abnormalities and second-trimester screening for major fetal malformations with the input from already collected data. The database...

  20. Maternal-fetal acute responses to two moderate-intensity exercise types: a randomized clinical trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jousilene de Sales Tavares

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Objective:  This study aims to compare maternal and fetal responses during two physical exercise types. Design:  A randomized clinical trial compared 120 pregnant women, gestational age of 35-37 weeks, 56 exercising on a stationary bicycle (Group A and 64 on a treadmill (Group B. Methods: Participants were monitored for three 20-minute phases: resting, exercise and recovery.  Fetal heart rate (FHR and maternal heart rate (MHR were monitored.  Glucose and lactate levels were evaluated at rest and during exercise. Results:  After the beginning of exercise, maximum lactate (L levels were reached at 20 minutes and never exceeded 4 mmol/l.  FHR decreased by 22 bpm during exercise in relation to resting values, irrespective of the exercise type (p0.05, increasing at 20’ to 32% and 40.6%, respectively, (p>0.05.  The FHR decrease during exercise was accompanied by a simultaneous increase in its variability (p<0.001, nevertheless a rapid return to resting values was observed shortly after exercise end.  Glucose decreased in both groups irrespective of the exercise type (85 mg/dl at rest; 79 mg/dl during exercise and 81 mg/dl during recovery; p<0.001. There were no hypoglycemia cases. Conclusions: FHR variability increase and the rapid return to resting values after exercise suggests that the FHR fall and the presence of bradycardia during exercise is the fetal physiologic response to blood flow redistribution, with maintenance of fetal well-being. Key-words: Exercise; fetal heart rate; glucose; maternal heart rate; pregnancy Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01383889.

  1. Fetal MRI: An approach to practice: A review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sahar N. Saleem

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available MRI has been increasingly used for detailed visualization of the fetus in utero as well as pregnancy structures. Yet, the familiarity of radiologists and clinicians with fetal MRI is still limited. This article provides a practical approach to fetal MR imaging. Fetal MRI is an interactive scanning of the moving fetus owed to the use of fast sequences. Single-shot fast spin-echo (SSFSE T2-weighted imaging is a standard sequence. T1-weighted sequences are primarily used to demonstrate fat, calcification and hemorrhage. Balanced steady-state free-precession (SSFP, are beneficial in demonstrating fetal structures as the heart and vessels. Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI, MR spectroscopy (MRS, and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI have potential applications in fetal imaging. Knowing the developing fetal MR anatomy is essential to detect abnormalities. MR evaluation of the developing fetal brain should include recognition of the multilayered-appearance of the cerebral parenchyma, knowledge of the timing of sulci appearance, myelination and changes in ventricular size. With advanced gestation, fetal organs as lungs and kidneys show significant changes in volume and T2-signal. Through a systematic approach, the normal anatomy of the developing fetus is shown to contrast with a wide spectrum of fetal disorders. The abnormalities displayed are graded in severity from simple common lesions to more complex rare cases. Complete fetal MRI is fulfilled by careful evaluation of the placenta, umbilical cord and amniotic cavity. Accurate interpretation of fetal MRI can provide valuable information that helps prenatal counseling, facilitate management decisions, guide therapy, and support research studies.

  2. Professionals’ views of fetal monitoring during labour: a systematic review and thematic analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Smith Valerie

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Current recommendations do not support the use of continuous electronic fetal monitoring (EFM for low risk women during labour, yet EFM remains widespread in clinical practice. Consideration of the views, perspectives and experiences of individuals directly concerned with EFM application may be beneficial for identifying barriers to and facilitators for implementing evidence-based maternity care. The aim of this paper is to offer insight and understanding, through systematic review and thematic analysis, of research into professionals’ views on fetal heart rate monitoring during labour. Methods Any study whose aim was to explore professional views of fetal monitoring during labour was considered eligible for inclusion. The electronic databases of MEDLINE (1966–2010, CINAHL (1980–2010, EMBASE (1974–2010 and Maternity and Infant Care: MIDIRS (1971–2010 were searched in January 2010 and an updated search was performed in March 2012. Quality appraisal of each included study was performed. Data extraction tables were developed to collect data. Data synthesis was by thematic analysis. Results Eleven studies, including 1,194 participants, were identified and included in this review. Four themes emerged from the data: 1 reassurance, 2 technology, 3 communication/education and 4 midwife by proxy. Conclusion This systematic review and thematic analysis offers insight into some of the views of professionals on fetal monitoring during labour. It provides evidence for the continuing use of EFM when caring for low-risk women, contrary to current research evidence. Further research to ascertain how some of these views might be addressed to ensure the provision of evidence-based care for women and their babies is recommended.

  3. Utility of fetal cardiac magnetic resonance imaging to assess fetuses with right aortic arch and right ductus arteriosus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Su-Zhen; Zhu, Ming

    2018-06-01

    To evaluate the utility of fetal cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to diagnose right aortic arch (RAA) with right ductus arteriosus. This retrospective study included six fetuses with right aortic arch and right ductus arteriosus. The six fetal cases were examined using a 1.5-T magnetic resonance unit. The steady-state free precession (SSFP) and single-shot turbo spin echo (SSTSE) sequences were used to evaluate the fetal heart and airway. The gestational age of the six fetuses ranged from 22 to 35 weeks (mean, 26.5 weeks). The age of the pregnant women ranged from 23 to 40 years (mean 31 years). Fetal cardiac MRI diagnosed the six fetal cases with RAA with right ductus arteriosus correctly. Among the six fetuses, four were associated with other congenital heart defects. In three of six cases, the diagnoses established using prenatal echocardiography (echo) was correct when compared with postnatal diagnosis. Fetal cardiac MRI is a useful complementary tool to assess fetuses with RAA and right ductus arteriosus.

  4. Prevention of hypoxic fetal complications in pregnant women with congenital heart disease and anemia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iu. Davydova

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the study is — to develop a strategy of prevention of hypoxic fetal abnormalities in pregnant women with congenital heart disease, heart failure and iron deficiency anemia. Materials and methods. The study included 86 pregnant women with CHD and NYHA II–III. 68 women in the third trimester of pregnancy is diagnosed anemia (group I, 18 pregnant women with CHD, NYHA II–III without anemia (II group, the control group consisted of 24 pregnant women without cardiac disease, with physiological pregnancy. All pregnant with information registration consent studied the concentration of ferritin, hemoglobin level, morphological study of the placenta. All pregnant women were assigned to iron supplements, oral iron (III hydroxide polymaltose complex (Maltofer when hemoglobin levels above 95 g/l and the expected delivery date more than 40 days of starting treatment. When the hemoglobin level below 95 g/l of intravenously administered iron (III hydroxide sucrose complex (Venofer followed by transfer to oral iron (III. Results. In groups of pregnant I and II did not have perinatal losses, births in gestation less than 28 weeks, with a score Apgar at birth of less than 4 points. Pregnant women with cyanotic heart defects and the need for early delivery in less than 37 weeks are not included in the study. Also, there is a correlation between the degree of severity of anemia in women with CHD with HF and prematurity, and the presence of IUGR child birth asphyxia able to varying degrees (respectively, r=0.8, r=0.75 and r=0.85. Conclusions. Formation of fetoplacental unit in women with CHD on a background of heart failure occurs with complications associated with the presence of tissue hypoxia, as well as the possible impact on the process of oxidative stress. The development of iron deficiency anemia in this group is an additional risk factor for placental dysfunction, which is confirmed by morphometric and morphological studies of placentas

  5. Taquiarritmia fetal: Una revisión práctica Fetal tachyarrhythmia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan F Jaramillo D

    2009-02-01

    Full Text Available Las frecuencias anormalmente rápidas sobre un corazón con una estructura menos distensible, rodeado por una coraza que sólo le permite defenderse con la frecuencia cardiaca para sostener el gasto cardiaco, hacen que este sea un corazón con márgenes estrechos de tolerancia frente a las taquiarritmias. Las frecuencias persistentes y superiores a 220 latidos por minuto, generan presiones anormalmente altas sobre todo el corazón y el sistema venoso. Hidrops y edema placentario son secuelas finales antes de la muerte fetal, y aún hasta este punto se pueden controlar y revertir. Aunque en teoría cualquier tipo de arritmias común en la vida extrauterina se podría desencadenar en el feto, 90% de éstas están incluidas en la taquicardia supraventricular reciprocante y en el flutter. Ambos tipos de arritmias pueden responder a la digoxina, aunque algunas son refractarias a este medicamento. La aplicación de ultrasonido sobre el corazón, permite no sólo descartar anomalías cardiacas asociadas, sino realizar protocolos de tratamiento. La medición de la relación de los tiempos ventrículo atrial:atrio ventricular, permite considerar otro tipo de arritmias como la taquicardia ectópica de la unión y la forma permanente reciprocante de la unión, etc., e incluir otros anti-arrítmicos, como amiodarona, flecainida, sotalol, entre otros. La principal vía de uso de los anti-arrítmicos es la transplacentaria. Por lo tanto, no sólo el feto se expone a posibles efectos secundarios, sino también la madre. Un grupo multidisciplinario enfrentará esta situación con el fin de ofrecer el mejor resultado para los dos.A heart with a not much distensible structure, surrounded by a membrane, and only able to react with the heart rate for maintaining its cardiac output, has a narrow margin of tolerance in front of tachyarrhythmias. Persistent heart rates >200/min generate abnormally high pressure on the heart and the venous system. Hydrops and placental

  6. Impact of a standardized training program on midwives’ ability to assess fetal heart anatomy by ultrasound

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hildebrand, Eric; Abrandt Dahlgren, Madeleine; Sved, Catarina; Gottvall, Tomas; Blomberg, Marie; Janerot-Sjoberg, Birgitta

    2014-01-01

    Studies of prenatal detection of congenital heart disease (CHD) in the UK, Italy, and Norway indicate that it should be possible to improve the prenatal detection rate of CHD in Sweden. These studies have shown that training programs, visualization of the outflow tracts and color-Doppler all can help to speed up and improve the detection rate and accuracy. We aimed to introduce a more accurate standardized fetal cardiac ultrasound screening protocol in Sweden. A novel pedagogical model for training midwives in standardized cardiac imaging was developed, a model using a think-aloud analysis during a pre- and post-course test and a subsequent group reflection. The self-estimated difficulties and knowledge gaps of two experienced and two beginner midwives were identified. A two-day course with mixed lectures, demonstrations and hands-on sessions was followed by a feedback session three months later consisting of an interview and check-up. The long-term effects were tested two years later. At the post-course test the self-assessed uncertainty was lower than at the pre-course test. The qualitative evaluation showed that the color Doppler images were difficult to interpret, but the training seems to have improved their ability to use the new technique. The ability to perform the method remained at the new level at follow-up both three months and two years later. Our results indicate that by implementing new imaging modalities and providing hands-on training, uncertainty can be reduced and examination time decreased, but they also show that continuous on-site training with clinical and technical back-up is important

  7. The World Health Organization Fetal Growth Charts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kiserud, Torvid; Piaggio, Gilda; Carroli, Guillermo

    2017-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Perinatal mortality and morbidity continue to be major global health challenges strongly associated with prematurity and reduced fetal growth, an issue of further interest given the mounting evidence that fetal growth in general is linked to degrees of risk of common noncommunicable...... longitudinal study of fetal growth in low-risk singleton pregnancies of women of high or middle socioeconomic status and without known environmental constraints on fetal growth. Centers in ten countries (Argentina, Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Norway...

  8. Hypoxia: From Placental Development to Fetal Programming.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fajersztajn, Lais; Veras, Mariana Matera

    2017-10-16

    Hypoxia may influence normal and different pathological processes. Low oxygenation activates a variety of responses, many of them regulated by hypoxia-inducible factor 1 complex, which is mostly involved in cellular control of O 2 consumption and delivery, inhibition of growth and development, and promotion of anaerobic metabolism. Hypoxia plays a significant physiological role in fetal development; it is involved in different embryonic processes, for example, placentation, angiogenesis, and hematopoiesis. More recently, fetal hypoxia has been associated directly or indirectly with fetal programming of heart, brain, and kidney function and metabolism in adulthood. In this review, the role of hypoxia in fetal development, placentation, and fetal programming is summarized. Hypoxia is a basic mechanism involved in different pregnancy disorders and fetal health developmental complications. Although there are scientific data showing that hypoxia mediates changes in the growth trajectory of the fetus, modulates gene expression by epigenetic mechanisms, and determines the health status later in adulthood, more mechanistic studies are needed. Furthermore, if we consider that intrauterine hypoxia is not a rare event, and can be a consequence of unavoidable exposures to air pollution, nutritional deficiencies, obesity, and other very common conditions (drug addiction and stress), the health of future generations may be damaged and the incidence of some diseases will markedly increase as a consequence of disturbed fetal programming. Birth Defects Research 109:1377-1385, 2017.© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Autonomic regulation in fetuses with congenital heart disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siddiqui, Saira; Wilpers, Abigail; Myers, Michael; Nugent, J David; Fifer, William P; Williams, Ismée A

    2015-03-01

    Exposure to antenatal stressors affects autonomic regulation in fetuses. Whether the presence of congenital heart disease (CHD) alters the developmental trajectory of autonomic regulation is not known. This prospective observational cohort study aimed to further characterize autonomic regulation in fetuses with CHD; specifically hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), transposition of the great arteries (TGA), and tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). From 11/2010 to 11/2012, 92 fetuses were enrolled: 41 controls and 51 with CHD consisting of 19 with HLHS, 12 with TGA, and 20 with TOF. Maternal abdominal fetal electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings were obtained at 3 gestational ages: 19-27 weeks (F1), 28-33 weeks (F2), and 34-38 weeks (F3). Fetal ECG was analyzed for mean heart rate along with 3 measures of autonomic variability of the fetal heart rate: interquartile range, standard deviation, and root mean square of the standard deviation of the heart rate (RMSSD), a measure of parasympathetic activity. During F1 and F2 periods, HLHS fetuses demonstrated significantly lower mean HR than controls (pHeart rate variability at F3, as measured by standard deviation, interquartile range, and RMSSD was lower in HLHS than controls (p<0.05). Other CHD subgroups showed a similar, though non-significant trend towards lower variability. Autonomic regulation in CHD fetuses differs from controls, with HLHS fetuses most markedly affected. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Extraction of the fetal ECG in noninvasive recordings by signal decompositions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Christov, I; Simova, I; Abächerli, R

    2014-01-01

    No signal processing technique has been able to reliably deliver an undistorted fetal electrocardiographic (fECG) signal from electrodes placed on the maternal abdomen because of the low signal-to-noise ratio of the fECG recorded from the maternal body surface. As a result, this led to increased rates of Caesarean deliveries of healthy infants. In an attempt to solve the problem, Physionet/Computing in Cardiology announced the 2013 Challenge: noninvasive fetal ECG. We are suggesting a method for cancellation of the maternal ECG consisting of: maternal QRS detection, heart rate dependant P-QRS-T interval selection, location of the fiducial points inside this interval for best matching by cross correlation, superimposition of the intervals, calculation of the mean signal of the P-QRS-T interval, and sequential subtraction of the mean signal from the whole fECG recording. Three signal decomposition methods were further applied in order to enhance the fetal QRSs (fQRS): principal component analysis, root-mean-square and Hotelling’s T-squared. A combined lead of all decompositions was synthesized and fQRS detection was performed on it. The current research differs from the Challenge in that it uses three signal decomposition methods to enhance the fECG. The new results for 97 recordings of test set B are: 305.657 for Event 4: Fetal heart rate (FHR) and 23.062 for Event 5: Fetal RR interval (FRR). (paper)

  11. Sonocubic fine: new three-dimensional ultrasound software to the screening of congenital heart diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edward Araujo Júnior

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Congenital heart disease is the most common fetal congenital malformations; however, the prenatal rate detection still is low. The two-dimensional echocardiography is the "gold standard" exam to screening and diagnosis of congenital heart disease during the prenatal; however, this exam is operator-depending and it is realized only in high risk pregnancies. Spatio-temporal image correlation is a three-dimensional ultrasound software that analyses the fetal heart and your connections in the multiplanar and rendering modes; however, spatio-temporal image correlation too is operator-depending and time-consuming. We presenting a new three-dimensional software named Sonocubic fine to the screening of congenital heart disease. This software applies intelligent navigation technology to spatio-temporal image correlation volume datasets to automatically generate nine fetal echocardiography standard views. Thus, this new software tends to be less operator-depending and time-consuming.

  12. Fetal Programming and Cardiovascular Pathology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexander, Barbara T.; Dasinger, John Henry; Intapad, Suttira

    2016-01-01

    Low birth weight serves as a crude proxy for impaired growth during fetal life and indicates a failure for the fetus to achieve its full growth potential. Low birth weight can occur in response to numerous etiologies that include complications during pregnancy, poor prenatal care, parental smoking, maternal alcohol consumption or stress. Numerous epidemiological and experimental studies demonstrate that birth weight is inversely associated with blood pressure and coronary heart disease. Sex and age impact the developmental programming of hypertension. In addition, impaired growth during fetal life also programs enhanced vulnerability to a secondary insult. Macrosomia, which occurs in response to maternal obesity, diabetes and excessive weight gain during gestation, is also associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Yet, the exact mechanisms that permanently change the structure, physiology and endocrine health of an individual across their lifespan following altered growth during fetal life are not entirely clear. Transmission of increased risk from one generation to the next in the absence of an additional prenatal insult indicates an important role for epigenetic processes. Experimental studies also indicate that the sympathetic nervous system, the renin angiotensin system, increased production of oxidative stress and increased endothelin play an important role in the developmental programming of blood pressure in later life. Thus, this review will highlight how adverse influences during fetal life and early development program an increased risk for cardiovascular disease including high blood pressure and provide an overview of the underlying mechanisms that contribute to the fetal origins of cardiovascular pathology. PMID:25880521

  13. Fetal programming and cardiovascular pathology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexander, Barbara T; Dasinger, John Henry; Intapad, Suttira

    2015-04-01

    Low birth weight serves as a crude proxy for impaired growth during fetal life and indicates a failure for the fetus to achieve its full growth potential. Low birth weight can occur in response to numerous etiologies that include complications during pregnancy, poor prenatal care, parental smoking, maternal alcohol consumption, or stress. Numerous epidemiological and experimental studies demonstrate that birth weight is inversely associated with blood pressure and coronary heart disease. Sex and age impact the developmental programming of hypertension. In addition, impaired growth during fetal life also programs enhanced vulnerability to a secondary insult. Macrosomia, which occurs in response to maternal obesity, diabetes, and excessive weight gain during gestation, is also associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Yet, the exact mechanisms that permanently change the structure, physiology, and endocrine health of an individual across their lifespan following altered growth during fetal life are not entirely clear. Transmission of increased risk from one generation to the next in the absence of an additional prenatal insult indicates an important role for epigenetic processes. Experimental studies also indicate that the sympathetic nervous system, the renin angiotensin system, increased production of oxidative stress, and increased endothelin play an important role in the developmental programming of blood pressure in later life. Thus, this review will highlight how adverse influences during fetal life and early development program an increased risk for cardiovascular disease including high blood pressure and provide an overview of the underlying mechanisms that contribute to the fetal origins of cardiovascular pathology. © 2015 American Physiological Society.

  14. 21 CFR 864.7455 - Fetal hemoglobin assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Fetal hemoglobin assay. 864.7455 Section 864.7455 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES HEMATOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY DEVICES Hematology Kits and Packages § 864.7455 Fetal hemoglobin...

  15. Maternal hemodynamics, fetal biometry and Dopplers in pregnancies followed up for suspected fetal growth restriction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, Llinos A; Ling, Hua Zen; Poon, Liona; Nicolaides, Kypros H; Kametas, Nikos A

    2018-04-01

    To assess whether in a cohort of patients with small for gestational age (SGA) foetuses with estimated fetal weight ≤10 th percentile, maternal hemodynamics, fetal biometry and Dopplers at presentation, can predict the subsequent development of abnormal fetal Dopplers or delivery with birthweight Cheetah), mean arterial pressure, fetal biometry, umbilical artery (UA), middle cerebral artery (MCA) and uterine artery (UT) pulsatility index (PI) and the deepest vertical pool (DVP) of amniotic fluid. Z-scores of these variables were calculated based on reported reference ranges and the values were compared between those with evidence of abnormal fetal Dopplers at presentation (group 1), those that developed abnormal Dopplers in subsequent visits (group 2) and those who did not develop abnormal Dopplers throughout pregnancy (group 3). Abnormal fetal Dopplers were defined as UAPI >95 th percentile, or MCA PI <5 th percentile. Differences in measured variables at presentation were also compared between pregnancies delivering a baby with birthweight <3 rd and ≥3 rd percentile. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine significant predictors of birthweight <3 rd percentile and evolution from normal fetal Dopplers to abnormal fetal Dopplers in groups 2 and 3. In the study population 14 (16%) cases were in group 1, 19 (22%) in group 2 and 53 (62%) in group 3. The birthweight was <3 rd percentile in 39 (45%) cases and ≥3 rd percentile in 47 (55%). In the study groups, compared to normal populations, there was decreased cardiac output and stroke volume and increased peripheral vascular resistance and mean arterial pressure (MAP) and the deviations from normal were most marked in group 1. Pregnancies with a birthweight <3 rd , compared to those ≥3 rd percentile, had higher deviations from normal in fetal biometry, maternal cardiac output, stroke volume, heart rate and peripheral vascular resistance and UT-PI. Multivariate logistic regression

  16. Cyanotic Congenital Heart Defects – literature review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vlad Drăgoi

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Congenital heart defects are one of the most interesting and important chapters regarding abnormal fetal growth pathology. The objective of this article is to present a literature review for the main cyanotic congenital heart defects. The ones presented in the article are: tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of the great vessels, double outlet right ventricle, truncus arteriosus, total anomalous pulmonary venous circulation and additional information regarding very rare malformations such as pentalogy of Cantrell and Uhl anomaly. An early and precise identification of congenital heart defects is an important step in an accurate follow-up of a potential problematic pregnancy. Knowing the sonographic aspect, associated pathology and the current available treatment procedures are vital for the fetal outcome and for the physician to adapt the right management in every situation that might appear during the pregnancy and in the neonatal period.

  17. The relationship between fetal biophysical profile and cord blood PH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valadan M

    2009-02-01

    Full Text Available "nBackground: The Biophysical Profile (BPP is a noninvasive test that predicts the presence or absence of fetal asphyxia and, ultimately, the risk of fetal death in the antenatal period. Intervention on the basis of an abnormal biophysical profile result has been reported to yield a significant reduction in prenatal mortality, and an association exists between biophysical profile scoring and a decreased cerebral palsy rate in a given population. The BPP evaluates five characteristics: fetal movement, tone, breathing, heart reactivity, and amniotic fluid (AF volume estimation. The purpose of study was to determine whether there are different degree of acidosis at which the biophysical activity (acute marker are affected. "nMethods: In a prospective study of 140 patients undergoing cesarean section before onset of labor, the fetal biophysical profile was performed 24h before the time of cesarean and was matched with cord arterial PH that was obtained from a cord segment (10-20cm that was double clamped after delivery of newborn. (using cord arterial PH less than 7.20 for the diagnosis of acidosis. "nResults: The fetal biophysical profile was found to have a significant relationship with umbilical blood PH. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value of fetal biophysical profile score were: 88.9%, 88.6%, 50%, 98.1%. "nConclusion: The first manifestations of fetal acidosis are nonreactive nonstress testing and fetal breathing loss; in advanced acidemia fetal movements and fetal tone are compromised. A protocol of antepartum fetal evaluation is suggested based upon the individual biophysical components rather than the score alone.

  18. A modified fetal heart rate tracing interpretation system for prediction of cesarean section

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schnettler, William T.; Rogers, Jennifer; Barber, Rachel E.; Hacker, Michele R.

    2013-01-01

    Objective To investigate whether a modified version of the 2008 National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) interpretation system upon admission decreases cesarean delivery risk. Methods This retrospective cohort study ascribed a modified category to the first 30 min of fetal heart rate (FHR) tracings in labor. Category I was divided into two subsets (Ia and Ib) by the presence of accelerations. Category II was divided into four subsets (IIa–IId) based on baseline FHR, variability, response to stimulation and decelerations. Log-binomial regression was used to calculate risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results A category was ascribed to 910 women. Most FHR tracings were Category Ia (65.8%), Ib (7.7%), IIb (11.8%) and IId (14.0%). Category Ib tracings (fewer than two accelerations) were 2.26 (95% CI: 1.13–4.52) times more likely to result in cesarean delivery for abnormal FHR tracing than Category Ia tracings. A similar increase in risk was seen when comparing Category IIb and Category IId with Category Ia. Conclusion Application of a modified version of the 2008 NICHD FHR interpretation system to the initial 30 min of labor can identify women at increased risk of cesarean delivery for abnormal FHR tracing. PMID:21942513

  19. Effects of High Intensity Interval Training on Pregnant Rats, and the Placenta, Heart and Liver of Their Fetuses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Songstad, Nils Thomas; Kaspersen, Knut-Helge Frostmo; Hafstad, Anne Dragøy; Basnet, Purusotam; Ytrehus, Kirsti; Acharya, Ganesh

    2015-01-01

    To investigate the effects of high intensity interval training (HIIT) on the maternal heart, fetuses and placentas of pregnant rats. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to HIIT or sedentary control groups. The HIIT group was trained for 6 weeks with 10 bouts of high intensity uphill running on a treadmill for four minutes (at 85-90% of maximal oxygen consumption) for five days/week. After three weeks of HIIT, rats were mated. After six weeks (gestational day 20 in pregnant rats), echocardiography was performed to evaluate maternal cardiac function. Real-time PCR was performed for the quantification of gene expression, and oxidative stress and total antioxidant capacity was assessed in the tissue samples. Maternal heart weight and systolic function were not affected by HIIT or pregnancy. In the maternal heart, expression of 11 of 22 genes related to cardiac remodeling was influenced by pregnancy but none by HIIT. Litter size, fetal weight and placental weight were not affected by HIIT. Total antioxidant capacity, malondialdehyde content, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activity measured in the placenta, fetal heart and liver were not influenced by HIIT. HIIT reduced the expression of eNOS (p = 0.03), hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (p = 0.04) and glutathione peroxidase 4.2 (p = 0.02) in the fetal liver and increased the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor-β (p = 0.014), superoxide dismutase 1 (p = 0.001) and tissue inhibitor of metallopeptidase 3 (p = 0.049) in the fetal heart. Maternal cardiac function and gene expression was not affected by HIIT. Although HIIT did not affect fetal growth, level of oxidative stress and total antioxidant capacity in the fetal tissues, some genes related to oxidative stress were altered in the fetal heart and liver indicating that protective mechanisms may be activated.

  20. Effects of High Intensity Interval Training on Pregnant Rats, and the Placenta, Heart and Liver of Their Fetuses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hafstad, Anne Dragøy; Basnet, Purusotam; Ytrehus, Kirsti; Acharya, Ganesh

    2015-01-01

    Objective To investigate the effects of high intensity interval training (HIIT) on the maternal heart, fetuses and placentas of pregnant rats. Methods Female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to HIIT or sedentary control groups. The HIIT group was trained for 6 weeks with 10 bouts of high intensity uphill running on a treadmill for four minutes (at 85–90% of maximal oxygen consumption) for five days/week. After three weeks of HIIT, rats were mated. After six weeks (gestational day 20 in pregnant rats), echocardiography was performed to evaluate maternal cardiac function. Real-time PCR was performed for the quantification of gene expression, and oxidative stress and total antioxidant capacity was assessed in the tissue samples. Results Maternal heart weight and systolic function were not affected by HIIT or pregnancy. In the maternal heart, expression of 11 of 22 genes related to cardiac remodeling was influenced by pregnancy but none by HIIT. Litter size, fetal weight and placental weight were not affected by HIIT. Total antioxidant capacity, malondialdehyde content, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activity measured in the placenta, fetal heart and liver were not influenced by HIIT. HIIT reduced the expression of eNOS (p = 0.03), hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (p = 0.04) and glutathione peroxidase 4.2 (p = 0.02) in the fetal liver and increased the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor-β (p = 0.014), superoxide dismutase 1 (p = 0.001) and tissue inhibitor of metallopeptidase 3 (p = 0.049) in the fetal heart. Conclusions Maternal cardiac function and gene expression was not affected by HIIT. Although HIIT did not affect fetal growth, level of oxidative stress and total antioxidant capacity in the fetal tissues, some genes related to oxidative stress were altered in the fetal heart and liver indicating that protective mechanisms may be activated. PMID:26566220

  1. Effects of High Intensity Interval Training on Pregnant Rats, and the Placenta, Heart and Liver of Their Fetuses.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nils Thomas Songstad

    Full Text Available To investigate the effects of high intensity interval training (HIIT on the maternal heart, fetuses and placentas of pregnant rats.Female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to HIIT or sedentary control groups. The HIIT group was trained for 6 weeks with 10 bouts of high intensity uphill running on a treadmill for four minutes (at 85-90% of maximal oxygen consumption for five days/week. After three weeks of HIIT, rats were mated. After six weeks (gestational day 20 in pregnant rats, echocardiography was performed to evaluate maternal cardiac function. Real-time PCR was performed for the quantification of gene expression, and oxidative stress and total antioxidant capacity was assessed in the tissue samples.Maternal heart weight and systolic function were not affected by HIIT or pregnancy. In the maternal heart, expression of 11 of 22 genes related to cardiac remodeling was influenced by pregnancy but none by HIIT. Litter size, fetal weight and placental weight were not affected by HIIT. Total antioxidant capacity, malondialdehyde content, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activity measured in the placenta, fetal heart and liver were not influenced by HIIT. HIIT reduced the expression of eNOS (p = 0.03, hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (p = 0.04 and glutathione peroxidase 4.2 (p = 0.02 in the fetal liver and increased the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor-β (p = 0.014, superoxide dismutase 1 (p = 0.001 and tissue inhibitor of metallopeptidase 3 (p = 0.049 in the fetal heart.Maternal cardiac function and gene expression was not affected by HIIT. Although HIIT did not affect fetal growth, level of oxidative stress and total antioxidant capacity in the fetal tissues, some genes related to oxidative stress were altered in the fetal heart and liver indicating that protective mechanisms may be activated.

  2. Heart failure in pregnant women with cardiac disease: Data from the ROPAC

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    T.P.E. Ruys (Titia); J.W. Roos-Hesselink (Jolien); R. Hall (Ruth); M.T. Subirana-Domèlnech (Maria); J. Grando-Ting (Jennifer); M. Estensen (Mette); R. Crepaz (Roberto); V. Fesslova (Vlasta); M. Gurvitz (Michelle); J. de Backer (Julie); M.R. Johnson (Mark); P.G. Pieper (Petronella)

    2014-01-01

    textabstractObjective Heart failure (HF) is one of the most important complications in pregnant women with heart disease, causing maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity. Methods This is an international observational registry of patients with structural heart disease during pregnancy. Sixty

  3. Normal anatomy and MR findings of fetal main organs at MR imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xia Liming; Zou Mingli; Feng Dingyi; Hu Junwu; Qi Jianpin; Wang Chengyuan

    2005-01-01

    Objective: To investigate normal anatomy and MR findings of fetal main organs. Methods: Forty-seven fetus underwented fast MR imaging, SSFSE sequence was used, the normal anatomy and MR findings of fetal main organs was observed in different gestational age. The organs included: brain, lungs, heart, liver, spleen, gastrointestinal tract, urinary collecting systems, bladder, bones, spine, and subcutaneous fat. Results: Results of MR in 47 fetus showed that the main organs had developed by 20-week-old fetus, about 20 weeks gestation, cerebral cortical surface was smooth, no cortical gyri and sulci, then cortical gyri and sulci developed slowly. The lungs, trachea, bronchus, gastrointestinal tract, renal collecting system and bladder showed high signal intensity; the heart, great vessels, liver, spleen, bones and muscles appeared hypointense; the kidneys appeared isointense, the spine had developed and subcutaneous fat was seen in 20-week-old fetus, the subcutaneous fat increased with fetus maturating. Conclusion: Normal anatomy and MR findings of fetal main organs were clearly showed by fast MR imaging, and they are different from the newborns. (authors)

  4. Heart failure in pregnant women with cardiac disease : data from the ROPAC

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ruys, Titia P. E.; Roos-Hesselink, Jolien W.; Hall, Roger; Subirana-Domenech, Maria T.; Grando-Ting, Jennifer; Estensen, Mette; Crepaz, Roberto; Fesslova, Vlasta; Gurvitz, Michelle; De Backer, Julie; Johnson, Mark R.; Pieper, Petronella G.

    2014-01-01

    Objective Heart failure (HF) is one of the most important complications in pregnant women with heart disease, causing maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity. Methods This is an international observational registry of patients with structural heart disease during pregnancy. Sixty hospitals in 28

  5. Aldosterone Inhibits the Fetal Program and Increases Hypertrophy in the Heart of Hypertensive Mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azibani, Feriel; Devaux, Yvan; Coutance, Guillaume; Schlossarek, Saskia; Polidano, Evelyne; Fazal, Loubina; Merval, Regine; Carrier, Lucie; Solal, Alain Cohen; Chatziantoniou, Christos; Launay, Jean-Marie; Samuel, Jane-Lise; Delcayre, Claude

    2012-01-01

    Background Arterial hypertension (AH) induces cardiac hypertrophy and reactivation of “fetal” gene expression. In rodent heart, alpha-Myosin Heavy Chain (MyHC) and its micro-RNA miR-208a regulate the expression of beta-MyHC and of its intronic miR-208b. However, the role of aldosterone in these processes remains unclear. Methodology/Principal Findings RT-PCR and western-blot were used to investigate the genes modulated by arterial hypertension and cardiac hyperaldosteronism. We developed a model of double-transgenic mice (AS-Ren) with cardiac hyperaldosteronism (AS mice) and systemic hypertension (Ren). AS-Ren mice had increased (x2) angiotensin II in plasma and increased (x2) aldosterone in heart. Ren and AS-Ren mice had a robust and similar hypertension (+70%) versus their controls. Anatomical data and echocardiography showed a worsening of cardiac hypertrophy (+41%) in AS-Ren mice (P<0.05 vs Ren). The increase of ANP (x 2.5; P<0.01) mRNA observed in Ren mice was blunted in AS-Ren mice. This non-induction of antitrophic natriuretic peptides may be involved in the higher trophic cardiac response in AS-Ren mice, as indicated by the markedly reduced cardiac hypertrophy in ANP-infused AS-Ren mice for one month. Besides, the AH-induced increase of ßMyHC and its intronic miRNA-208b was prevented in AS-Ren. The inhibition of miR 208a (−75%, p<0.001) in AS-Ren mice compared to AS was associated with increased Sox 6 mRNA (x 1.34; p<0.05), an inhibitor of ßMyHC transcription. Eplerenone prevented all aldosterone-dependent effects. Conclusions/Significance Our results indicate that increased aldosterone in heart inhibits the induction of atrial natriuretic peptide expression, via the mineralocorticoid receptor. This worsens cardiac hypertrophy without changing blood pressure. Moreover, this work reveals an original aldosterone-dependent inhibition of miR-208a in hypertension, resulting in the inhibition of β-myosin heavy chain expression through the induction of

  6. Repetitive reduction of uterine blood flow and its influence on fetal transcutaneous PO2 and cardiovascular variables.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jensen, A; Künzel, W; Kastendieck, E

    1985-04-01

    The influence of repeated asphyxia on fetal transcutaneous PO2, relative local skin perfusion, heart rate, blood gases and pH was investigated in 15 experiments on 8 acutely instrumented sheep fetuses in utero between 125 and 145 days gestation (term is 147 days). Uterine blood flow was intermittently arrested (11 times within 33 min) by intra-vascular maternal aortic occlusion, exposing the fetuses to repeated episodes of asphyxia of 30 (n = 3), 60 (n = 9) and 90 (n = 3) s duration. The fetal transcutaneous PO2 fell as the duration of asphyxia (2 alpha less than 0.01), heart rate deceleration area (2 alpha less than 0.01) and acidaemia (2 alpha less than 0.01) increased. With decreasing skin perfusion, which was dependent on the duration of asphyxia (2 alpha less than 0.001) and acidaemia (2 alpha less than 0.001), a discrepancy developed between transcutaneous and arterial PO2. The increase (delta) in transcutaneous-arterial PO2 difference was related linearly to the duration of asphyxia (2 alpha less than 0.01), the mean haemoglobin oxygen saturation (2 alpha less than 0.001), acidaemia (2 alpha less than 0.001) and relative local skin flow (2 alpha less than 0.05). It was highest after severe episodes of asphyxia (90 s), when O2 saturation, skin blood flow and arterial blood pH values were low. Fetal heart rate deceleration area was only correlated with the cutaneous-arterial PO2 difference when the mean fetal haemoglobin oxygen saturation was below 35%. Thus, a discrimination of heart rate decelerations that are significant for the fetus seems to be possible, when associated with low transcutaneous PO2 values. We conclude that in the sheep fetus transcutaneous PO2 measurements during repeated asphyxial episodes yield information on fetal oxygenation and on the skin vasomotor response.

  7. Fetal cardiac cine imaging using highly accelerated dynamic MRI with retrospective motion correction and outlier rejection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Amerom, Joshua F P; Lloyd, David F A; Price, Anthony N; Kuklisova Murgasova, Maria; Aljabar, Paul; Malik, Shaihan J; Lohezic, Maelene; Rutherford, Mary A; Pushparajah, Kuberan; Razavi, Reza; Hajnal, Joseph V

    2018-01-01

    Development of a MRI acquisition and reconstruction strategy to depict fetal cardiac anatomy in the presence of maternal and fetal motion. The proposed strategy involves i) acquisition and reconstruction of highly accelerated dynamic MRI, followed by image-based ii) cardiac synchronization, iii) motion correction, iv) outlier rejection, and finally v) cardiac cine reconstruction. Postprocessing entirely was automated, aside from a user-defined region of interest delineating the fetal heart. The method was evaluated in 30 mid- to late gestational age singleton pregnancies scanned without maternal breath-hold. The combination of complementary acquisition/reconstruction and correction/rejection steps in the pipeline served to improve the quality of the reconstructed 2D cine images, resulting in increased visibility of small, dynamic anatomical features. Artifact-free cine images successfully were produced in 36 of 39 acquired data sets; prolonged general fetal movements precluded processing of the remaining three data sets. The proposed method shows promise as a motion-tolerant framework to enable further detail in MRI studies of the fetal heart and great vessels. Processing data in image-space allowed for spatial and temporal operations to be applied to the fetal heart in isolation, separate from extraneous changes elsewhere in the field of view. Magn Reson Med 79:327-338, 2018. © 2017 The Authors Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 2017 The Authors Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

  8. Maternal melatonin administration mitigates coronary stiffness and endothelial dysfunction, and improves heart resilience to insult in growth restricted lambs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tare, Marianne; Parkington, Helena C; Wallace, Euan M; Sutherland, Amy E; Lim, Rebecca; Yawno, Tamara; Coleman, Harold A; Jenkin, Graham; Miller, Suzanne L

    2014-06-15

    Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is associated with impaired cardiac function in childhood and is linked to short- and long-term morbidities. Placental dysfunction underlies most IUGR, and causes fetal oxidative stress which may impact on cardiac development. Accordingly, we investigated whether antenatal melatonin treatment, which possesses antioxidant properties, may afford cardiovascular protection in these vulnerable fetuses. IUGR was induced in sheep fetuses using single umbilical artery ligation on day 105-110 of pregnancy (term 147). Study 1: melatonin (2 mg h(-1)) was administered i.v. to ewes on days 5 and 6 after surgery. On day 7 fetal heart function was assessed using a Langendorff apparatus. Study 2: a lower dose of melatonin (0.25 mg h(-1)) was administered continuously following IUGR induction and the ewes gave birth normally at term. Lambs were killed when 24 h old and coronary vessels studied. Melatonin significantly improved fetal oxygenation in vivo. Contractile function in the right ventricle and coronary flow were enhanced by melatonin. Ischaemia-reperfusion-induced infarct area was 3-fold greater in IUGR hearts than in controls and this increase was prevented by melatonin. In isolated neonatal coronary arteries, endothelium-dependent nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability was reduced in IUGR, and was rescued by modest melatonin treatment. Melatonin exposure also induced the emergence of an indomethacin-sensitive vasodilation. IUGR caused marked stiffening of the coronary artery and this was prevented by melatonin. Maternal melatonin treatment reduces fetal hypoxaemia, improves heart function and coronary blood flow and rescues cardio-coronary deficit induced by IUGR. © 2014 The Authors. The Journal of Physiology © 2014 The Physiological Society.

  9. Fetal Intervention in Right Outflow Tract Obstructive Disease: Selection of Candidates and Results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gómez Montes, E.; Herraiz, I.; Mendoza, A.; Galindo, A.

    2012-01-01

    Objectives. To describe the process of selection of candidates for fetal cardiac intervention (FCI) in fetuses diagnosed with pulmonary atresia-critical stenosis with intact ventricular septum (PA/CS-IVS) and report our own experience with FCI for such disease. Methods. We searched our database for cases of PA/CS-IVS prenatally diagnosed in 2003–2012. Data of 38 fetuses were retrieved and analyzed. FCI were offered to 6 patients (2 refused). In the remaining it was not offered due to the presence of either favourable prognostic echocardiographic markers (n = 20) or poor prognostic indicators (n = 12). Results. The outcome of fetuses with PA/CS-IVS was accurately predicted with multiparametric scoring systems. Pulmonary valvuloplasty was technically successful in all 4 fetuses. The growth of the fetal right heart and hemodynamic parameters showed a Gaussian-like behaviour with an improvement in the first weeks and slow worsening as pregnancy advanced, probably indicating a restenosis. Conclusions. The most likely type of circulation after birth may be predicted in the second trimester of pregnancy by means of combining cardiac dimensions and functional parameters. Fetal pulmonary valvuloplasty in midgestation is technically feasible and in well-selected cases may improve right heart growth, fetal hemodynamics, and postnatal outcome. PMID:22928144

  10. Fetal stimulation by pulsed diagnostic ultrasound.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fatemi, M; Ogburn, P L; Greenleaf, J F

    2001-08-01

    To show that pulsed ultrasound from a clinical ultrasonic imaging system can stimulate the fetus. Stimulation is defined mainly as increased fetal gross body movements in response to excitation. Fetuses of a group of 9 volunteer women (mean gestational age, 33.37 weeks; range, 25-40 weeks) were evaluated for body movement under 3 different conditions: (1) control, with no ultrasound exposure; (2) ultrasound in continuous wave Doppler mode; and (3) pulsed ultrasound in pulsed Doppler and B modes. A conventional external fetal monitor, with negligible ultrasonic output, was used to monitor fetal gross body motions. After an initial rest period of 3 minutes with 1 or no fetal motion, fetuses were monitored for an additional 3 minutes under the exposure criterion defined for each condition. Resulting fetal motions under the 3 conditions were compared using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. The test showed that fetuses moved significantly more frequently under condition 3 (mean +/- SD, 3.43 +/- 1.93 movements per minute) than under condition 1 (0.40 +/- 7.33 movements per minute) or condition 2 (0.63 +/- 7.67 movements per minute); P = .004 and .016, respectively. Fetal movements under conditions 1 and 2 did not differ significantly. Diagnostic ultrasound may stimulate fetal body motion.

  11. The Danish Fetal Medicine Database

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ekelund, Charlotte K; Petersen, Olav B; Jørgensen, Finn S

    2015-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To describe the establishment and organization of the Danish Fetal Medicine Database and to report national results of first-trimester combined screening for trisomy 21 in the 5-year period 2008-2012. DESIGN: National register study using prospectively collected first-trimester screening...... data from the Danish Fetal Medicine Database. POPULATION: Pregnant women in Denmark undergoing first-trimester screening for trisomy 21. METHODS: Data on maternal characteristics, biochemical and ultrasonic markers are continuously sent electronically from local fetal medicine databases (Astraia Gmbh...... software) to a central national database. Data are linked to outcome data from the National Birth Register, the National Patient Register and the National Cytogenetic Register via the mother's unique personal registration number. First-trimester screening data from 2008 to 2012 were retrieved. MAIN OUTCOME...

  12. Interference characterisation of a commercial Joule-Thomson cooler to be used in a SQUID-based foetal heart monitor

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bangma, M.R.; Rijpma, A.P.; Vries, de E.; Reincke, H.A.; Holland, H.J.; Brake, ter H.J.M.; Rogalla, H.

    2001-01-01

    At the University of Twente, a fetal heart monitor based on a high-TC SQUID magnetometer system is under development. The purpose of this system is to measure a fetal heart signal in a clin. environment. For cooling a first demonstrator version, a closed-cycle Joule-Thomson cooler from APD

  13. A Case of Alloimmune Thrombocytopenia, Hemorrhagic Anemia-Induced Fetal Hydrops, Maternal Mirror Syndrome, and Human Chorionic Gonadotropin–Induced Thyrotoxicosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Venu Jain

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Fetal/neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT can be a cause of severe fetal thrombocytopenia, with the common presentation being intracranial hemorrhage in the fetus, usually in the third trimester. A very unusual case of fetal anemia progressed to hydrops. This was further complicated by maternal Mirror syndrome and human chorionic gonadotropin–induced thyrotoxicosis. Without knowledge of etiology, and possibly due to associated cardiac dysfunction, fetal transfusion resulted in fetal demise. Subsequent testing revealed FNAIT as the cause of severe hemorrhagic anemia. In cases with fetal anemia without presence of red blood cell antibodies, FNAIT must be ruled out as a cause prior to performing fetal transfusion. Fetal heart may adapt differently to acute hemorrhagic anemia compared with a more subacute hemolytic anemia.

  14. Obstetrics at Decisive Crossroads Regarding Pattern-Recognition of Fetal Heart Rate Decelerations: Scientific Principles and Lessons From Memetics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sholapurkar, Shashikant L

    2018-04-01

    The survival of cardiotocography (CTG) as a tool for intrapartum fetal monitoring seems threatened somewhat unjustifiably and unwittingly despite the absence of better alternatives. Fetal heart rate (FHR) decelerations are center-stage (most important) in the interpretation of CTG with maximum impact on three-tier classification. The pattern-discrimination of FHR decelerations is inexorably linked to their nomenclature. Unscientific or flawed nomenclature of decelerations can explain the dysfunctional CTG interpretation leading to errors in detection of acidemic fetuses. There are three contrasting concepts about categorization of FHR decelerations: 1) all rapid decelerations (the vast majority) should be grouped as "variable" because they are predominantly due to cord-compression, 2) all decelerations are due to chemoreflex from fetal hypoxemia hence their timing is not important, and 3) FHR decelerations should be categorized into "early/late/variable" based primarily on their time relationship to contractions. These theoretical concepts are like memes (ideas/beliefs). Lessons from "memetics" are that the most popular, attractive or established beliefs may not necessarily be true, scientific, beneficial or even without harm. Decelerations coincident with contractions with trough corresponding to the peak of contractions cannot be explained by cord-compression or increasing hypoxia (from compromised uteroplacental perfusion, cord-compression or even cerebral hypoperfusion/anoxia purportedly conceivable from head-compression). Decelerations due to hypoxemia would be associated with delayed recovery of decelerations (lag phase). It is a scientific imperative to cast away disproven/falsified theories. Practices based on unscientific theories lead to patient harm. Clinicians should urgently adopt the categorization of FHR decelerations based primarily of the time relationship to contractions as originally proposed by Hon and Caldeyro-Barcia. This analytical review

  15. Cardiac Restoration Stemming From the Placenta Tree: Insights From Fetal and Perinatal Cell Biology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sveva Bollini

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Efficient cardiac repair and ultimate regeneration still represents one of the main challenges of modern medicine. Indeed, cardiovascular disease can derive from independent conditions upsetting heart structure and performance: myocardial ischemia and infarction (MI, pharmacological cardiotoxicity, and congenital heart defects, just to name a few. All these disorders have profound consequences on cardiac tissue, inducing the onset of heart failure over time. Since the cure is currently represented by heart transplantation, which is extremely difficult due to the shortage of donors, much effort is being dedicated to developing innovative therapeutic strategies based on stem cell exploitation. Among the broad scenario of stem/progenitor cell subpopulations, fetal and perinatal sources, namely amniotic fluid and term placenta, have gained interest due to their peculiar regenerative capacity, high self-renewal capability, and ease of collection from clinical waste material. In this review, we will provide the state-of-the-art on fetal perinatal stem cells for cardiac repair and regeneration. We will discuss different pathological conditions and the main therapeutic strategies proposed, including cell transplantation, putative paracrine therapy, reprogramming, and tissue engineering approaches.

  16. A novel LabVIEW-based multi-channel non-invasive abdominal maternal-fetal electrocardiogram signal generator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinek, Radek; Kelnar, Michal; Koudelka, Petr; Vanus, Jan; Bilik, Petr; Janku, Petr; Nazeran, Homer; Zidek, Jan

    2016-02-01

    This paper describes the design, construction, and testing of a multi-channel fetal electrocardiogram (fECG) signal generator based on LabVIEW. Special attention is paid to the fetal heart development in relation to the fetus' anatomy, physiology, and pathology. The non-invasive signal generator enables many parameters to be set, including fetal heart rate (FHR), maternal heart rate (MHR), gestational age (GA), fECG interferences (biological and technical artifacts), as well as other fECG signal characteristics. Furthermore, based on the change in the FHR and in the T wave-to-QRS complex ratio (T/QRS), the generator enables manifestations of hypoxic states (hypoxemia, hypoxia, and asphyxia) to be monitored while complying with clinical recommendations for classifications in cardiotocography (CTG) and fECG ST segment analysis (STAN). The generator can also produce synthetic signals with defined properties for 6 input leads (4 abdominal and 2 thoracic). Such signals are well suited to the testing of new and existing methods of fECG processing and are effective in suppressing maternal ECG while non-invasively monitoring abdominal fECG. They may also contribute to the development of a new diagnostic method, which may be referred to as non-invasive trans-abdominal CTG +  STAN. The functional prototype is based on virtual instrumentation using the LabVIEW developmental environment and its associated data acquisition measurement cards (DAQmx). The generator also makes it possible to create synthetic signals and measure actual fetal and maternal ECGs by means of bioelectrodes.

  17. Entropy and Compression Capture Different Complexity Features: The Case of Fetal Heart Rate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    João Monteiro-Santos

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Entropy and compression have been used to distinguish fetuses at risk of hypoxia from their healthy counterparts through the analysis of Fetal Heart Rate (FHR. Low correlation that was observed between these two approaches suggests that they capture different complexity features. This study aims at characterizing the complexity of FHR features captured by entropy and compression, using as reference international guidelines. Single and multi-scale approaches were considered in the computation of entropy and compression. The following physiologic-based features were considered: FHR baseline; percentage of abnormal long (%abLTV and short (%abSTV term variability; average short term variability; and, number of acceleration and decelerations. All of the features were computed on a set of 68 intrapartum FHR tracings, divided as normal, mildly, and moderately-severely acidemic born fetuses. The correlation between entropy/compression features and the physiologic-based features was assessed. There were correlations between compressions and accelerations and decelerations, but neither accelerations nor decelerations were significantly correlated with entropies. The %abSTV was significantly correlated with entropies (ranging between −0.54 and −0.62, and to a higher extent with compression (ranging between −0.80 and −0.94. Distinction between groups was clearer in the lower scales using entropy and in the higher scales using compression. Entropy and compression are complementary complexity measures.

  18. The effect of N-2-cyano-ethylamphetamine. HCl on total lipid contents of placenta and some material and fetal tissues of the rat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulay, L; Oliveira-Filho, R M; Siciliano, S F; Kulay, M N

    1978-12-01

    Female rats received 1.25 mg/kg body weight of N-2-cyano-ethylamphetamine. HCl (Fenproporex chlorhydrate) by oral route, once daily from the 5th to the 21st day of pregnancy, and compared to untreated pregnant rats, showed an increased total lipid content in maternal blood and fetal hearts; liver and heart have had total lipids decrease, while in placenta and fetal livers they were not observed significant differences.

  19. The pharmacotherapy of the HeartMate II, a continuous flow left ventricular assist device, in patients with advanced heart failure: integration of disease, device, and drug.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jennings, Douglas L; Chambers, Rachel M; Schillig, Jessica M

    2010-10-01

    Advanced heart failure continues to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the US. Patients with advanced heart failure have a poor prognosis without cardiac transplantation. The use of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) as destination therapy for these patients is therefore expected to increase in the coming years as technology advances. The HeartMate II, a continuous flow implantable device, is currently the only LVAD that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for destination therapy in patients with advanced heart failure. The pharmacotherapy associated with this device is very complex and, therefore, the need for expertly trained clinical pharmacists to care for this expanding patient population will also likely increase. Unfortunately, most pharmacists are unfamiliar with the effect of LVADs on the physiology and pharmacotherapy of a patient's heart failure. The purpose of this article is to give clinical pharmacists an introduction to the most common pharmacotherapeutic issues for patients with LVADs and present practical solutions for managing common drug therapy problems.

  20. Real-time Continuous Assessment Method for Mental and Physiological Condition using Heart Rate Variability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoshida, Yutaka; Yokoyama, Kiyoko; Ishii, Naohiro

    It is necessary to monitor the daily health condition for preventing stress syndrome. In this study, it was proposed the method assessing the mental and physiological condition, such as the work stress or the relaxation, using heart rate variability at real time and continuously. The instantanuous heart rate (HR), and the ratio of the number of extreme points (NEP) and the number of heart beats were calculated for assessing mental and physiological condition. In this method, 20 beats heart rate were used to calculate these indexes. These were calculated in one beat interval. Three conditions, which are sitting rest, performing mental arithmetic and watching relaxation movie, were assessed using our proposed algorithm. The assessment accuracies were 71.9% and 55.8%, when performing mental arithmetic and watching relaxation movie respectively. In this method, the mental and physiological condition was assessed using only 20 regressive heart beats, so this method is considered as the real time assessment method.

  1. Effects of an overload of animal protein on the rat: brain DNA alterations and tissue morphological modifications during fetal and post-natal stage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greco, A M; Sticchi, R; Boschi, G; Vetrani, A; Salvatore, G

    1985-01-01

    On account of many literature reports about the definite correlation between high animal protein intake and cardiovascular diseases, we have studied the effect of a hyperproteic purified diet (casein 40%, lactalbumin 20%) on fetal and post-natal (not further than 40th day) stage of the rat, when cell subdivision process is faster and therefore damage by nutritional imbalance is certainly more serious. Litters of rats were grouped according to mother's (either hyperproteic or common basic) and rat's (after lactation) diet. Brain DNA and histology of various organs were studied. Hyperproteic diet during fetal stage and lactation would inhibit brain cell subdivision since overall content of brain DNA would be decreased on autoptic finding. Structural changes were also shown in liver, heart, kidney and adrenal cortex, especially when hyperproteic diet was continued even after lactation.

  2. Developing fetal motor-cardiovascular coordination analyzed from multi-channel magnetocardiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schmidt, A; Witte, O W; Hoyer, D; Schneider, U; Schleußner, E

    2014-01-01

    Fetal movements (FM) related heart rate accelerations (AC) are an important maturation criterion. Since Doppler-based time resolution is not sufficient for accompanying heart rate variability analysis, the work is aimed at a comprehensive FM-AC analysis using magnetocardiographic recordings from fetuses during sleep. We identify FM and AC by independent component analysis and automatic recognition algorithms. We investigate associations between FM and AC of different magnitude by means of event coincidence and time series cross-correlation over the maturation period of 21–40 weeks of gestation (WGA). FM related AC appear with increasing AC magnitude and WGA. Vice versa, AC related FM appear independent of WGA, but more frequently with increasing AC amplitude. The FM-AC correlation exists already at 21 WGA and further increases with WGA while the variability of its time delay decreases. Hence, FM and AC are clearly associated over the whole investigated maturation period. The increase of FM related AC runs parallel to the increasing AC magnitude. The MCG methodology was confirmed and results from previous Doppler-based analyses reproduced. Hence, MCG recordings allow the collective analysis of heart rate variability based maturation indices and FM related AC. This synergism may improve the diagnosis of fetal developmental disorders. (paper)

  3. A robust physiology-based source separation method for QRS detection in low amplitude fetal ECG recordings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vullings, R; Bergmans, J W M; Peters, C H L; Hermans, M J M; Wijn, P F F; Oei, S G

    2010-01-01

    The use of the non-invasively obtained fetal electrocardiogram (ECG) in fetal monitoring is complicated by the low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of ECG signals. Even after removal of the predominant interference (i.e. the maternal ECG), the SNR is generally too low for medical diagnostics, and hence additional signal processing is still required. To this end, several methods for exploiting the spatial correlation of multi-channel fetal ECG recordings from the maternal abdomen have been proposed in the literature, of which principal component analysis (PCA) and independent component analysis (ICA) are the most prominent. Both PCA and ICA, however, suffer from the drawback that they are blind source separation (BSS) techniques and as such suboptimum in that they do not consider a priori knowledge on the abdominal electrode configuration and fetal heart activity. In this paper we propose a source separation technique that is based on the physiology of the fetal heart and on the knowledge of the electrode configuration. This technique operates by calculating the spatial fetal vectorcardiogram (VCG) and approximating the VCG for several overlayed heartbeats by an ellipse. By subsequently projecting the VCG onto the long axis of this ellipse, a source signal of the fetal ECG can be obtained. To evaluate the developed technique, its performance is compared to that of both PCA and ICA and to that of augmented versions of these techniques (aPCA and aICA; PCA and ICA applied on preprocessed signals) in generating a fetal ECG source signal with enhanced SNR that can be used to detect fetal QRS complexes. The evaluation shows that the developed source separation technique performs slightly better than aPCA and aICA and outperforms PCA and ICA and has the main advantage that, with respect to aPCA/PCA and aICA/ICA, it performs more robustly. This advantage renders it favorable for employment in automated, real-time fetal monitoring applications

  4. Influence of Maternal Undernutrition and Overfeeding on Cardiac Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor Receptor and Ventricular Size in Fetal Sheep

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Feng; Ford, Stephen P.; Nijland, Mark J.; Nathanielsz, Peter W.; Ren, Jun

    2008-01-01

    Intrauterine nutrition status is reported to correlate with risk of cardiovascular diseases in adulthood. Either under- or over-nutrition during early to mid gestation contributes to altered fetal growth and ventricular geometry. This study was designed to examine myocardial expression of ciliary neurotrophic factor receptor α (CTNFRα) and its down-stream mediator signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) on maternal under- or over-nutrition-induced changes in fetal heart weight. Multiparous ewes were fed with 50% (nutrient-restricted, NR), 100% (control) or 150% (overfed, OF) of NRC requirements from 28 to 78 days of gestation (dG; Term 148 dG). Ewes were euthanized on day 78, and the gravid uteri and fetuses recovered. Ventricular protein expression of CTNFRα, STAT3, phosphorylated STAT3, insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-1R) and IGF binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) were quantitated using western blot. Plasma cortisol levels were higher in both NR and OF fetuses whereas plasma IGF-1 levels were lower and higher, in NR and OF fetuses. Fetal weights were reduced by 29.9% in NR ewes and were increased by 22.2% in fetuses from OF ewes compared to control group. Nutrient restriction did not affect fetal heart or ventricular weights whereas overfeeding increased heart and ventricular weights. Protein expression of CTNFRα in fetal ventricular tissue was reduced in OF group whereas STAT3 and pSTAT3 levels were reduced in both NR and OF groups. Expression of IGF-1R and IGFBP3 was unaffected in either NR or OF group. These data suggested that compared with maternal undernutrition, intrauterine overfeeding during early to mid gestation is associated with increases fetal blood concentrations of cortisol and IGF-1 in association with ventricular hypertrophy where reduced expression of CNTFRα and STAT3 may play a role. PMID:17869083

  5. Congenital heart disease linked to maternal autoimmunity against cardiac myosin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cole, Charles R; Yutzey, Katherine E; Brar, Anoop K; Goessling, Lisa S; Van Vickle-Chavez, Sarah J; Cunningham, Madeleine W; Eghtesady, Pirooz

    2014-05-01

    Structural congenital heart disease (CHD) has not previously been linked to autoimmunity. In our study, we developed an autoimmune model of structural CHD that resembles hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a life-threatening CHD primarily affecting the left ventricle. Because cardiac myosin (CM) is a dominant autoantigen in autoimmune heart disease, we hypothesized that immunization with CM might lead to transplacental passage of maternal autoantibodies and a prenatal HLHS phenotype in exposed fetuses. Elevated anti-CM autoantibodies in maternal and fetal sera, as well as IgG reactivity in fetal myocardium, were correlated with structural CHD that included diminished left ventricular cavity dimensions in the affected progeny. Further, fetuses that developed a marked HLHS phenotype had elevated serum titers of anti-β-adrenergic receptor Abs, as well as increased protein kinase A activity, suggesting a potential mechanism for the observed pathological changes. Our maternal-fetal model presents a new concept linking autoimmunity against CM and cardiomyocyte proliferation with cardinal features of HLHS. To our knowledge, this report shows the first evidence in support of a novel immune-mediated mechanism for pathogenesis of structural CHD that may have implications in its future diagnosis and treatment.

  6. Transabdominal amnioinfusion to avoid fetal demise and intestinal damage in fetuses with gastroschisis and severe oligohydramnios.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sapin, E; Mahieu, D; Borgnon, J; Douvier, S; Carricaburu, E; Sagot, P

    2000-04-01

    Despite dramatic improvement in survival rate for neonates with gastroschisis, significant postoperative morbidity and a low mortality rate still occur. Furthermore, even in recent publications, some fetal death has been reported. Does this mean that antenatal diagnosis of gastroschisis is a missed opportunity? In fact, decreased amniotic fluid (AF) volume is observed in some fetuses with gastroschisis. However, oligohydramnios is associated with an increased risk of fetal suffering. When severe oligohydramnios is observed, intrapartum amnioinfusion, to restore AF volume, may help avoid fetal complications. Two fetuses with gastroschisis and severe oligohydramnios were treated antenatally with amnioinfusion of saline solution. In one case, fetal heart beat decelerations were observed at 27 weeks' gestation among with the oligohydroamnios and serial transabdominal amnioinfusions were performed. In the second case, severe oligohydramnios was observed at 31, weeks and an amnioinfusion was performed. The 2 babies were delivered at 31 and 34 weeks, respectively. In both cases, exteriorized bowel was nearly normal at birth, and primary closure could be performed. Outcome was favorable, and they were discharged home on day 43 and day 54, respectively. Because fetuses with gastroschisis and oligohydramnios are part of a particular high-risk group, serial ultrasound examination and computerized fetal heart beat monitoring are necessary during the third trimester. In selected cases of gastroschisis associated with severe oligohydramnios, serial amnioinfusion may be required.

  7. The Danish Fetal Medicine Database

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ekelund CK

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Charlotte Kvist Ekelund,1 Tine Iskov Kopp,2 Ann Tabor,1 Olav Bjørn Petersen3 1Department of Obstetrics, Center of Fetal Medicine, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; 2Registry Support Centre (East – Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Research Centre for Prevention and Health, Glostrup, Denmark; 3Fetal Medicine Unit, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus Nord, Denmark Aim: The aim of this study is to set up a database in order to monitor the detection rates and false-positive rates of first-trimester screening for chromosomal abnormalities and prenatal detection rates of fetal malformations in Denmark. Study population: Pregnant women with a first or second trimester ultrasound scan performed at all public hospitals in Denmark are registered in the database. Main variables/descriptive data: Data on maternal characteristics, ultrasonic, and biochemical variables are continuously sent from the fetal medicine units' Astraia databases to the central database via web service. Information about outcome of pregnancy (miscarriage, termination, live birth, or stillbirth is received from the National Patient Register and National Birth Register and linked via the Danish unique personal registration number. Furthermore, results of all pre- and postnatal chromosome analyses are sent to the database. Conclusion: It has been possible to establish a fetal medicine database, which monitors first-trimester screening for chromosomal abnormalities and second-trimester screening for major fetal malformations with the input from already collected data. The database is valuable to assess the performance at a regional level and to compare Danish performance with international results at a national level. Keywords: prenatal screening, nuchal translucency, fetal malformations, chromosomal abnormalities

  8. Sequential Total Variation Denoising for the Extraction of Fetal ECG from Single-Channel Maternal Abdominal ECG.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Kwang Jin; Lee, Boreom

    2016-07-01

    Fetal heart rate (FHR) is an important determinant of fetal health. Cardiotocography (CTG) is widely used for measuring the FHR in the clinical field. However, fetal movement and blood flow through the maternal blood vessels can critically influence Doppler ultrasound signals. Moreover, CTG is not suitable for long-term monitoring. Therefore, researchers have been developing algorithms to estimate the FHR using electrocardiograms (ECGs) from the abdomen of pregnant women. However, separating the weak fetal ECG signal from the abdominal ECG signal is a challenging problem. In this paper, we propose a method for estimating the FHR using sequential total variation denoising and compare its performance with that of other single-channel fetal ECG extraction methods via simulation using the Fetal ECG Synthetic Database (FECGSYNDB). Moreover, we used real data from PhysioNet fetal ECG databases for the evaluation of the algorithm performance. The R-peak detection rate is calculated to evaluate the performance of our algorithm. Our approach could not only separate the fetal ECG signals from the abdominal ECG signals but also accurately estimate the FHR.

  9. Heart-rate mediated blood pressure control in preterm fetal sheep under normal and hypoxic-ischemic conditions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zwanenburg, A.A.; Jellema, R.K.; Jennekens, W.; Ophelders, D.; Vullings, R.; Hunnik, van A.; Pul, van C.; Bennet, L.; Delhaas, T.; Kramer, B.W.; Andriessen, P.

    2013-01-01

    Background: The understanding of hypoxemia-induced changes in baroreflex function is limited and may be studied in a fetal sheep experiment before, during, and after standardized hypoxic conditions. Methods: Preterm fetal lambs were instrumented at 102 d gestation (term: 146 d). At 106 d,

  10. Update on Valvular Heart Disease in Pregnancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Safi, Lucy M; Tsiaras, Sarah V

    2017-09-01

    Valvular heart disease in women of childbearing age poses an increased risk of adverse maternal and fetal outcomes, and management in pregnancy can be challenging. Ideally, patients with suspected valvular disease should have preconception counseling by a multidisciplinary team including cardiologists with expertise in pregnancy and a maternal-fetal medicine specialist. Preconception planning should include a cardiac assessment of maternal risk, determination of frequency of surveillance, and a cardiovascular management plan during delivery. Women with valvular heart disease should be followed closely by a cardiologist and monitored for signs and symptoms of congestive heart failure and arrhythmias. In general, stenotic lesions may become more symptomatic in pregnancy, whereas regurgitant lesions are generally well tolerated. Left-sided valvular lesions have higher complication rates than right-sided lesions. For patients with asymptomatic valvular stenosis, medical management during pregnancy may include beta blockade and/or diuretics. Exercise stress testing prior to pregnancy in sedentary patients can be helpful to unmask symptoms and determine functional capacity. Patients with symptomatic, severe left-sided valvular obstruction have a high maternal risk of cardiovascular events during pregnancy, and percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty or surgery is recommended prior to pregnancy. The type of prosthetic valve (mechanical vs bioprosthetic) should be selected after a careful discussion with the patient. Invasive procedures are generally reserved for when medical management fails. The second trimester may be the optimal time for intervention as fetal organogenesis is complete and the cardiac positioning has not been affected by the gravid uterus.

  11. Low-complexity R-peak detection in ECG signals : a preliminary step towards ambulatory fetal monitoring

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rooijakkers, M.J.; Rabotti, C.; Bennebroek, M.; Meerbergen, van J.; Mischi, M.

    2011-01-01

    Non-invasive fetal health monitoring during pregnancy has become increasingly important. Recent advances in signal processing technology have enabled fetal monitoring during pregnancy, using abdominal ECG recordings. Ubiquitous ambulatory monitoring for continuous fetal health measurement is however

  12. The Polish National Registry for Fetal Cardiac Pathology: organization, diagnoses, management, educational aspects and telemedicine endeavors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slodki, Maciej; Szymkiewicz-Dangel, Joanna; Tobota, Zdzislaw; Seligman, Neil S; Weiner, Stuart; Respondek-Liberska, Maria

    2012-05-01

    We describe the National Registry for Fetal Cardiac Pathology, a program under the Polish Ministry of Health aimed at improving the prenatal diagnosis, care, and management of congenital heart disease (CHD). An online database was created to prospectively record diagnosis, prenatal care, delivery, follow-up, and still images and video for fetuses with CHD. A certification program in fetal cardiac ultrasound was also implemented. Optimal screening and referral centers were identified by number of fetuses entered in the Registry yearly by each center. From 2004 to 2009, 2910 fetuses with CHD were registered (2473 structural, 437 functional anomalies). The most common reasons for referral for fetal echocardiography were abnormal four-chamber view (56.0%) and extra-cardiac anomalies (8.2% ), while the most common diagnoses were atrioventricular septal defects (10.2%) and hypoplastic left heart syndrome (9.7%). Prenatal diagnosis increased yearly, from 10.0% of neonatal diagnoses in 2003 to 38.0% in 2008. From inception of the registry up to 2009 there has been a fourfold increase in the number of neonates referred for cardiac surgery in whom the condition was prenatally diagnosed. Equally important achievements include the establishment of a certification program for fetal echocardiography and the organization of prenatal and neonatal management. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  13. Fetal magnetic resonance: technique applications and normal fetal anatomy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, C.; Darnell, A.; Duran, C.; Mellado, F.; Corona, M

    2003-01-01

    Ultrasonography is the preferred diagnostic imaging technique for intrauterine fetal examination. Nevertheless, circumstances sometimes dictate the use of other techniques in order to analyze fetal structures. The advent of ultra rapid magnetic resonance (MR) sequencing has led to the possibility of doing MR fetal studies, since images are obtained in an extradordiarily short time and are not affected by either maternal or fetal movements. It does not employ ionizing radiations, it provides high-contrast images and it can obtain such images in any plane of space without being influenced by either the child bearer's physical characteristics of fetal position. MR provides good quality images of most fetal organs. It is extremely useful in analysing distinct structures, as well as permitting an evaluation of cervical structures, lungs, diaphragms, intra-abdominal and retroperitoneal structures, and fetal extremities. It can also provide useful information regarding the placenta,umbilical cord, amniotic fluid and uterus. The objective of this work is to describe MR technique as applied to intrauterine fetal examination, and to illustrate normal fetal anatomy as manifested by MR and its applications. (Author) 42 refs

  14. Relation between parvovirus B19 infection and fetal mortality and spontaneous abortion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shabani, Zahra; Esghaei, Maryam; Keyvani, Hossein; Shabani, Fateme; Sarmadi, Fateme; Mollaie, Hamidreza; Monavari, Seyed Hamidreza

    2015-01-01

    Infection with parvovirus B19 may cause fetal losses including spontaneous abortion, intrauterine fetal death and non-immune hydrops fetalis. The aim of this study is to determine the frequency of parvovirus B19 in formalin fixed placental tissues in lost fetuses using real-time PCR method. In this cross-sectional study, 100 formalin fixed placental tissues with unknown cause of fetal death were determined using real-time PCR method after DNA extraction. Six out of 100 cases (6%) were positive for parvovirus B19 using real-time PCR. Gestational age of all positive cases was less than 20 weeks with a mean of 12.3 weeks. Three cases have a history of abortion and all of positive cases were collected in spring. Mean age of positive cases were 28 years. Parvovirus B19 during pregnancy can infect red precursor cells and induces apoptosis or lyses these cells that resulting in anemia and congestive heart failure leading to fetal death. Management of parvovirus B19 infection in pregnant women is important because immediate diagnosis and transfusion in hydropsic fetuses can decrease the risk of fetal death.

  15. Analysis of fetal movements by Doppler actocardiogram and fetal B-mode imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maeda, K; Tatsumura, M; Utsu, M

    1999-12-01

    We have presented that fetal surveillance may be enhanced by use of the fetal actocardiogram and by computerized processing of fetal motion as well as fetal B-mode ultrasound imaging. Ultrasonic Doppler fetal actogram is a sensitive and objective method for detecting and recording fetal movements. Computer processing of the actograph output signals enables powerful, detailed, and convenient analysis of fetal physiologic phenomena. The actocardiogram is a useful measurement tool not only in fetal behavioral studies but also in evaluation of fetal well-being. It reduces false-positive, nonreactive NST and false-positive sinusoidal FHR pattern. It is a valuable tool to predict fetal distress. The results of intrapartum fetal monitoring are further improved by the antepartum application of the actocardiogram. Quantified fetal motion analysis is a useful, objective evaluation of the embryo and fetus. This method allows monitoring of changes in fetal movement, as well as frequency, amplitude, and duration. Furthermore, quantification of fetal motion enables evaluation of fetal behavior states and how these states relate to other measurements, such as changes in FHR. Numeric analysis of both fetal actogram and fetal motion from B-mode images is a promising application in the correlation of fetal activity or behavior with other fetal physiologic measurements.

  16. Acute and Chronic Fetal Anemia as a Result of Fetomaternal Hemorrhage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paul Singh

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Fetomaternal hemorrhage represents a transfer of fetal blood to the maternal circulation. Although many etiologies have been described, most causes of fetomaternal hemorrhage remain unidentified. The differentiation between acute and chronic fetomaternal hemorrhage may be accomplished antenatally and may influence perinatal management. Case. A 36-year-old gravida 6 para 3 presented at 37 and 5/7 completed gestational weeks with ultrasound findings suggestive of chronic fetal anemia such as right ventricular enlargement, diminished cerebral vascular resistance, and elevated middle cerebral artery end-diastolic velocity. On the other hand, signs of acute fetal decompensation such as deterioration of the fetal heart tracing, diminished biophysical score, decreased cord pH, and increased cord base deficit were noted. Following delivery, the neonate’s initial hemoglobin was 4.0 g/dL and the maternal KB ratio was 0.015 indicative of a significant fetomaternal hemorrhage. Discussion. One should consider FMH as part of the differential diagnosis for fetal or immediate neonatal anemia. We describe a unique case of FMH that demonstrated both acute and chronic clinical features. It is our hope that this case will assist practitioners in differentiating acute FMH that may require emergent delivery from chronic FMH which may be able to be expectantly managed.

  17. Acute and chronic fetal anemia as a result of fetomaternal hemorrhage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Paul; Swanson, Tara

    2014-01-01

    Introduction. Fetomaternal hemorrhage represents a transfer of fetal blood to the maternal circulation. Although many etiologies have been described, most causes of fetomaternal hemorrhage remain unidentified. The differentiation between acute and chronic fetomaternal hemorrhage may be accomplished antenatally and may influence perinatal management. Case. A 36-year-old gravida 6 para 3 presented at 37 and 5/7 completed gestational weeks with ultrasound findings suggestive of chronic fetal anemia such as right ventricular enlargement, diminished cerebral vascular resistance, and elevated middle cerebral artery end-diastolic velocity. On the other hand, signs of acute fetal decompensation such as deterioration of the fetal heart tracing, diminished biophysical score, decreased cord pH, and increased cord base deficit were noted. Following delivery, the neonate's initial hemoglobin was 4.0 g/dL and the maternal KB ratio was 0.015 indicative of a significant fetomaternal hemorrhage. Discussion. One should consider FMH as part of the differential diagnosis for fetal or immediate neonatal anemia. We describe a unique case of FMH that demonstrated both acute and chronic clinical features. It is our hope that this case will assist practitioners in differentiating acute FMH that may require emergent delivery from chronic FMH which may be able to be expectantly managed.

  18. Discovery of novel heart rate-associated loci using the Exome Chip

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    van den Berg, Marten E; Warren, Helen R; Cabrera, Claudia P

    2017-01-01

    Resting heart rate is a heritable trait, and an increase in heart rate is associated with increased mortality risk. Genome-wide association study analyses have found loci associated with resting heart rate, at the time of our study these loci explained 0.9% of the variation. This study aims to di......) and fetal muscle samples by including our novel variants.Our findings advance the knowledge of the genetic architecture of heart rate, and indicate new candidate genes for follow-up functional studies....

  19. Prenatal Detection of Congenital Heart Diseases: One-Year Survey Performing a Screening Protocol in a Single Reference Center in Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luciane Alves Rocha

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. To describe the experience of a tertiary center in Brazil to which patients are referred whose fetuses are at increased risk for congenital heart diseases (CHDs. Methods. This was a cross-sectional observational study. The data was collected prospectively, during the year 2012, through a screening protocol of the fetal heart adapted from the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG guideline. We performed a fetal echocardiogram screening for all pregnant women who were referred to the fetal cardiology outpatient obstetrics clinic of a university hospital. The exams were classified as normal or abnormal. The cases considered abnormal were undergone to a postnatal echocardiogram. We categorized the abnormal fetal heart according to severity in “complex,” “significant,” “minor,” and “others.” Results. We performed 271 fetal heart screening. The incidence of abnormal screenings was 9.96% (27 fetuses. The structural CHD when categorized due to severity showed 48.1% (n=13 of “complex” cases, 18.5% (n=5 “significant” cases, and 7.4% (n=2 “minor” cases. The most common referral reason was by maternal causes (67% followed by fetal causes (33%. The main referral indication was maternal metabolic disease (30%, but there was just one fetus with CHD in such cases (1.2%. CHDs were found in 19/29 fetuses with suspicion of some cardiac abnormality by obstetrician (65.5%. Conclusion. We observed a high rate of CHD in our population. We also found that there was higher incidence of complex cases.

  20. Right atrial hemangioma in the newborn: Utility of fetal imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baird, Christopher; Blalock, Shannon; Bengur, Resai; Ikemba, Catherine

    2012-01-01

    We present a rare primary right atrial tumor diagnosed in-utero with fetal echocardiography, and further characterized as a congenital hemangioma with magnetic resonance imaging. Surgical resection was done six days after birth. This case illustrates the complementary roles of evolving advanced imaging techniques for fetuses and infants with congenital heart disease that allows for surgery early in the neonatal period

  1. Efeitos da ingestão de glicose sobre a circulação materno-fetal Materno-fetal hemodynamic repercussion of glucose ingestion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rose Mary de Castro Ranciaro

    2006-12-01

    the materno-fetal and fetoplacentary circulation. METHODS: the study was carried out by a single observer on 31 clinically healthy pregnant women from the 28th to the 36th gestational week. Parameters were assessed immediately before or 60 minutes after the ingestion of 50 g of glucose. The including criteria comprised normal clinical and laboratorial evaluation, the presence of only one fetus, gestational age between 28 and 36 weeks confirmed by ultrasonography and/or the date of the last menstruation, fasting glycemia less or equal to 110 mg/dL and less than 140 mg/dL after 50 g of glucose overload. The excluding criteria consisted of the presence of fetal malformation or development alterations, labor, diabetes as a family predisposition, pathologies due to or underlying gestation and use of tobacco, alcohol and/or other substances. The mother´s common carotid artery and uterine arteries, the umbilical artery and the fetal medial cerebral artery and abdominal aorta were evaluated. In each blood vessel, the following parameters were analyzed: resistance index, pulsatility index, maximum systolic speed, final diastolic speed and acceleration time. The fetal heart rate was evaluated by M Mode ultrasonography. For the statistical analysis, the Student's t test was used when the variable presented normal distribution in Kolmogorov-Smirnov's test. When normality was rejected, the Wilcoxon's non-parametric test was used, with the significance level always established at p<0.05. RESULTS: the maternal glycemia increased after the ingestion of 50 g of glucose (before: 68.0±10.1 mg/dL and after: 104.6±28.2 mg/dL; p<0.001, and fetal heart rate decreased after the glucose ingestion (before: 137.9±6.1 bpm and after: 134.5±6.9 bpm; p<0.001. The umbilical artery presented an increase in the pulsatility index (before: 0.8±0.1 and after: 0.9±0.2; p=0.03. Significant velocimetric alterations were not found in the other vessels or in the other indexes investigated. CONCLUSIONS

  2. The effect of fetal sex on customized fetal growth charts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rizzo, Giuseppe; Prefumo, Federico; Ferrazzi, Enrico; Zanardini, Cristina; Di Martino, Daniela; Boito, Simona; Aiello, Elisa; Ghi, Tullio

    2016-12-01

    To evaluate the effect of fetal sex on singleton pregnancy growth charts customized for parental characteristics, race, and parity Methods: In a multicentric cross-sectional study, 8070 ultrasonographic examinations from low-risk singleton pregnancies between 16 and 40 weeks of gestation were considered. The fetal measurements obtained were biparietal diameter (BPD), head circumference (HC), abdominal circumference (AC), and femur length (FL). Quantile regression was used to examine the impact of fetal sex across the biometric percentiles of the fetal measurements considered together with parents' height, weight, parity, and race. Fetal gender resulted to be a significant covariate for BDP, HC, and AC with higher values for male fetuses (p ≤ 0.0009). Minimal differences were found among sexes for FL. Parity, maternal race, paternal height and maternal height, and weight resulted significantly related to the fetal biometric parameters considered independently from fetal gender. In this study, we constructed customized biometric growth charts for fetal sex, parental, and obstetrical characteristics using quantile regression. The use of gender-specific charts offers the advantage to define individualized normal ranges of fetal biometric parameters at each specific centile. This approach may improve the antenatal identification of abnormal fetal growth.

  3. Valvular Heart Disease and Pregnancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lau, Emily S; Scott, Nandita S

    2018-04-26

    With improving reproductive assistive technologies, advancing maternal age, and improved survival of patients with congenital heart disease, valvular heart disease has become an important cause of morbidity and mortality in pregnant women. In general, stenotic lesions, even those in the moderate range, are poorly tolerated in the face of hemodynamic changes of pregnancy. Regurgitant lesions, however, fare better due to the physiologic afterload reduction that occurs. Intervention on regurgitant valve preconception follows the same principles as a non-pregnant population. Prosthetic valves in pregnancy are increasingly commonplace, presenting new management challenges including valve deterioration and valve thrombosis. In particular, anticoagulation during pregnancy is challenging. Pregnancy is a hypercoagulable state and the risks of maternal bleeding and fetal anticoagulant risks need to be balanced. Maternal mortality and complications are lowest with warfarin use throughout pregnancy; however, fetal outcomes are best with low molecular weight heparin use. ACC/AHA guidelines recommend warfarin use, even in the first trimester, if doses are less than 5 mg/day; however, adverse fetal events are not zero at this dose. In addition, it is unclear if better monitoring of low molecular weight heparin with peak and trough anti-Xa levels would lower maternal risks as this has been inconsistently monitored in reported studies. Fortunately, with the emergence of newer data, our understanding of anticoagulant strategies in pregnancy is improving over time which should translate to better pregnancy outcomes in this higher risk population.

  4. Real-time fetal ECG system design using embedded microprocessors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyer-Baese, Uwe; Muddu, Harikrishna; Schinhaerl, Sebastian; Kumm, Martin; Zipf, Peter

    2016-05-01

    The emphasis of this project lies in the development and evaluation of new robust and high fidelity fetal electrocardiogram (FECG) systems to determine the fetal heart rate (FHR). Recently several powerful algorithms have been suggested to improve the FECG fidelity. Until now it is unknown if these algorithms allow a real-time processing, can be used in mobile systems (low power), and which algorithm produces the best error rate for a given system configuration. In this work we have developed high performance, low power microprocessor-based biomedical systems that allow a fair comparison of proposed, state-of-the-art FECG algorithms. We will evaluate different soft-core microprocessors and compare these solutions to other commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardcore solutions in terms of price, size, power, and speed.

  5. Fetal MRI; Fetales MRT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blondin, D. [Inst. fuer Diagn. Radiologie, Uniklinikum Duesseldorf (Germany); Turowski, B. [Inst. fuer Diagn. Radiologie, Neuroradiologie, Uniklinikum Duesseldorf (Germany); Schaper, J. [Inst. fuer Diagn. Radiologie, Kinderradiologie, Uniklinikum Duesseldorf (Germany)

    2007-02-15

    Ultrasonography is the method of choice for prenatal malformation screening, but it does not always provide sufficient information for correct diagnosis or adequate abnormality evaluation. Fetal MRI is increasingly being used to complete sonographic findings. It was initially used for evaluation of cerebral abnormalities but is increasingly being applied to other fetal areas. In vivo investigation of fetal brain maturation has been enhanced by MRI. An adequate analysis of fetal chest and abdomen can be achieved with fast T2-, T1-weighted and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). The advantages include the great field of view and the excellent soft tissue contrast. This allows correct diagnosis of congenital diaphragmatic hernia and evaluation of the consequences on pulmonary growth. Other pulmonary malformations, such as cystic adenomatoid malformation, sequestration and brochogenic cysts, can also be easily identified. Renal position can be quickly determined using DWI sequences and renal agenesia can be easily diagnosed with only one sequence. Prenatal MRI is virtually as effective as postnatal examination, dispenses with transport of a potentially very ill newborn, and provides logistic advantages. Therefore, prenatal MRI is useful for adequate postnatal treatment of newborns with malformations. (orig.)

  6. Role of the placenta in fetal programming: underlying mechanisms and potential interventional approaches.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jansson, Thomas; Powell, Theresa L

    2007-07-01

    Adverse influences during fetal life alter the structure and function of distinct cells, organ systems or homoeostatic pathways, thereby 'programming' the individual for an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes in adult life. Fetal programming can be caused by a number of different perturbations in the maternal compartment, such as altered maternal nutrition and reduced utero-placental blood flow; however, the underlying mechanisms remain to be fully established. Perturbations in the maternal environment must be transmitted across the placenta in order to affect the fetus. Here, we review recent insights into how the placenta responds to changes in the maternal environment and discuss possible mechanisms by which the placenta mediates fetal programming. In IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction) pregnancies, the increased placental vascular resistance subjects the fetal heart to increased work load, representing a possible direct link between altered placental structure and fetal programming of cardiovascular disease. A decreased activity of placental 11beta-HSD-2 (type 2 isoform of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase) activity can increase fetal exposure to maternal cortisol, which programmes the fetus for later hypertension and metabolic disease. The placenta appears to function as a nutrient sensor regulating nutrient transport according to the ability of the maternal supply line to deliver nutrients. By directly regulating fetal nutrient supply and fetal growth, the placenta plays a central role in fetal programming. Furthermore, perturbations in the maternal compartment may affect the methylation status of placental genes and increase placental oxidative/nitrative stress, resulting in changes in placental function. Intervention strategies targeting the placenta in order to prevent or alleviate altered fetal growth and/or fetal programming include altering placental growth and nutrient transport by maternally administered IGFs (insulin

  7. “I Was Relieved to Know That My Baby Was Safe”: Women’s Attitudes and Perceptions on Using a New Electronic Fetal Heart Rate Monitor during Labor in Tanzania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sara Rivenes Lafontan

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available To increase labor monitoring and prevent neonatal morbidity and mortality, a new wireless, strap-on electronic fetal heart rate monitor called Moyo was introduced in Tanzania in 2016. As part of the ongoing evaluation of the introduction of the monitor, the aim of this study was to explore the attitudes and perceptions of women who had worn the monitor continuously during their most recent delivery and perceptions about how it affected care. This knowledge is important to identify barriers towards adaptation in order to introduce new technology more effectively. We carried out 20 semi-structured individual interviews post-labor at two hospitals in Tanzania. A thematic content analysis was used to analyze the data. Our results indicated that the use of the monitor positively affected the women’s birth experience. It provided much-needed reassurance about the wellbeing of the child. The women considered that wearing Moyo improved care due to an increase in communication and attention from birth attendants. However, the women did not fully understand the purpose and function of the device and overestimated its capabilities. This highlights the need to improve how and when information is conveyed to women in labor.

  8. Intermittent versus continuous exercise training in chronic heart failure: a meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smart, Neil A; Dieberg, Gudrun; Giallauria, Francesco

    2013-06-20

    We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials of combined strength and intermittent aerobic training, intermittent aerobic training only and continuous exercise training in heart failure patients. A systematic search was conducted of Medline (Ovid) (1950-September 2011), Embase.com (1974-September 2011), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and CINAHL (1981-September 19 2011). The search strategy included a mix of MeSH and free text terms for the key concepts heart failure, exercise training, interval training and intermittent exercise training. The included studies contained an aggregate of 446 patients, 212 completed intermittent exercise training, 66 only continuous exercise training, 59 completed combined intermittent and strength training and 109 sedentary controls. Weighted mean difference (MD) in Peak VO2 was 1.04mlkg(-1)min(-1) and (95% C.I.) was 0.42-1.66 (p=0.0009) in intermittent versus continuous exercise training respectively. Weighted mean difference in Peak VO2 was -1.10mlkg(-1)min(-1) (95% C.I.) was -1.83-0.37 p=0.003 for intermittent only versus intermittent and strength (combined) training respectively. In studies reporting VE/VCO2 for intermittent versus control groups, MD was -1.50 [(95% C.I. -2.64, -0.37), p=0.01] and for intermittent versus continuous exercise training MD was -1.35 [(95% C.I. -2.15, -0.55), p=0.001]. Change in peak VO2 was positively correlated with weekly exercise energy expenditure for intermittent exercise groups (r=0.48, p=0.05). Combined strength and intermittent exercise appears superior for peak VO2 changes when compared to intermittent exercise of similar exercise energy expenditure. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Bolus versus continuous low dose of enalaprilat in congestive heart failure with acute refractory decompensation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Podbregar, M; Voga, G; Horvat, M; Zuran, I; Krivec, B; Skale, R; Pareznik, R

    1999-01-01

    The first dose of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors may trigger a considerable fall of blood pressure in chronic heart failure. The response may be dose-related. To determine hemodynamic and systemic oxygenation effects of low-dose enalaprilat, we administered intravenous enalaprilat (0.004 mg/kg) as bolus (group B) or continuous 1-hour infusion (group C) in 20 patients with congestive heart failure due to ischemic heart disease with acute decompensation refractory to inotropic, vasodilator and diuretic therapy. Hemodynamic and systemic oxygenation variables were recorded at baseline (+0 min), +30, +60, +120, +180, and +360 min after the start of intervention. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) (p < 0. 001), mean pulmonary artery pressure (MPAP) (p < 0.001), pulmonary artery occlusion pressure (PAOP) (p < 0.001), oxygen extraction ratio (ER) (p < 0.026) decreased regardless of enalaprilat application. Compared to group B, there was in group C prolonged decrease of MAP, MPAP, PAOP, ER and increase of pulmonary artery oxyhemoglobin saturation in regard to baseline values. Cardiac index, heart rate, central venous pressure and oxygen consumption index did not change. A low dose of intravenous enalaprilat (0.004 mg/kg) can be used to safely improve hemodynamics and systemic oxygenation in congestive heart failure due to ischemic heart disease with acute refractory decompensation.

  10. Rising trend and indications of caesarean section at the university of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2009-10-05

    Oct 5, 2009 ... Conclusion: Trial of vaginal birth after caesarean section in ... continuous fetal heart rate monitoring in labor with confirmation of suspected fetal distress through fetal blood ..... poverty level in our environment such that only.

  11. Fetal demise by umbilical cord around abdomen and stricture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Shun-Jen; Chen, Chi-Huang; Wu, Gwo-Jang; Chen, Wei-Hwa; Chang, Cheng-Chang

    2010-01-01

    Umbilical cord abnormalities are accepted as conditions associated with intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD), and umbilical cord stricture is most frequently encountered. In addition, although cord entanglement with multiple loops rarely increases the perinatal mortality, it is associated with a significant increase in variable kind of morbidity such as growth restriction. We describe a 27-year-old woman, with a missed abortion history at about 10 weeks' gestation in her first pregnancy, who presented to our outpatient department at 34 4/7 weeks of gestation due to decreased fetal activity during the preceding week. No fetal heart activity and blood flow had been detected by ultrasonography and pulsed-wave Doppler. A demised fetus with umbilical cord stricture and three loops around abdomen was delivered and was weighted 1,830 g that was below the tenth percentile for the gestational age. Either umbilical cord stricture or entanglement around the body can affect the development of the fetus and even be lethal. The former might play a more important role in this case. Their etiology and the sequence of the events are still undetermined, and additional evaluation such as autopsy and further research may be needed. In addition, counsel and frequent fetal surveillance should be done in patients with previous IUFD attributed to cord stricture during next pregnancy because of undetermined risk of recurrence.

  12. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thiagarajan Ravi

    2007-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Hypoplastic left heart syndrome(HLHS refers to the abnormal development of the left-sided cardiac structures, resulting in obstruction to blood flow from the left ventricular outflow tract. In addition, the syndrome includes underdevelopment of the left ventricle, aorta, and aortic arch, as well as mitral atresia or stenosis. HLHS has been reported to occur in approximately 0.016 to 0.036% of all live births. Newborn infants with the condition generally are born at full term and initially appear healthy. As the arterial duct closes, the systemic perfusion becomes decreased, resulting in hypoxemia, acidosis, and shock. Usually, no heart murmur, or a non-specific heart murmur, may be detected. The second heart sound is loud and single because of aortic atresia. Often the liver is enlarged secondary to congestive heart failure. The embryologic cause of the disease, as in the case of most congenital cardiac defects, is not fully known. The most useful diagnostic modality is the echocardiogram. The syndrome can be diagnosed by fetal echocardiography between 18 and 22 weeks of gestation. Differential diagnosis includes other left-sided obstructive lesions where the systemic circulation is dependent on ductal flow (critical aortic stenosis, coarctation of the aorta, interrupted aortic arch. Children with the syndrome require surgery as neonates, as they have duct-dependent systemic circulation. Currently, there are two major modalities, primary cardiac transplantation or a series of staged functionally univentricular palliations. The treatment chosen is dependent on the preference of the institution, its experience, and also preference. Although survival following initial surgical intervention has improved significantly over the last 20 years, significant mortality and morbidity are present for both surgical strategies. As a result pediatric cardiologists continue to be challenged by discussions with families regarding initial decision

  13. Wireless fetal heart rate monitoring in inpatient full-term pregnant women: testing functionality and acceptability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boatin, Adeline A; Wylie, Blair; Goldfarb, Ilona; Azevedo, Robin; Pittel, Elena; Ng, Courtney; Haberer, Jessica

    2015-01-01

    We tested functionality and acceptability of a wireless fetal monitoring prototype technology in pregnant women in an inpatient labor unit in the United States. Women with full-term singleton pregnancies and no evidence of active labor were asked to wear the prototype technology for 30 minutes. We assessed functionality by evaluating the ability to successfully monitor the fetal heartbeat for 30 minutes, transmit this data to Cloud storage and view the data on a web portal. Three obstetricians also rated fetal cardiotocographs on ease of readability. We assessed acceptability by administering closed and open-ended questions on perceived utility and likeability to pregnant women and clinicians interacting with the prototype technology. Thirty-two women were enrolled, 28 of whom (87.5%) successfully completed 30 minutes of fetal monitoring including transmission of cardiotocographs to the web portal. Four sessions though completed, were not successfully uploaded to the Cloud storage. Six non-study clinicians interacted with the prototype technology. The primary technical problem observed was a delay in data transmission between the prototype and the web portal, which ranged from 2 to 209 minutes. Delays were ascribed to Wi-Fi connectivity problems. Recorded cardiotocographs received a mean score of 4.2/5 (± 1.0) on ease of readability with an interclass correlation of 0.81(95%CI 0.45, 0.96). Both pregnant women and clinicians found the prototype technology likable (81.3% and 66.7% respectively), useful (96.9% and 66.7% respectively), and would either use it again or recommend its use to another pregnant woman (77.4% and 66.7% respectively). In this pilot study we found that this wireless fetal monitoring prototype technology has potential for use in a United States inpatient setting but would benefit from some technology changes. We found it to be acceptable to both pregnant women and clinicians. Further research is needed to assess feasibility of using this

  14. Wireless fetal heart rate monitoring in inpatient full-term pregnant women: testing functionality and acceptability.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adeline A Boatin

    Full Text Available We tested functionality and acceptability of a wireless fetal monitoring prototype technology in pregnant women in an inpatient labor unit in the United States. Women with full-term singleton pregnancies and no evidence of active labor were asked to wear the prototype technology for 30 minutes. We assessed functionality by evaluating the ability to successfully monitor the fetal heartbeat for 30 minutes, transmit this data to Cloud storage and view the data on a web portal. Three obstetricians also rated fetal cardiotocographs on ease of readability. We assessed acceptability by administering closed and open-ended questions on perceived utility and likeability to pregnant women and clinicians interacting with the prototype technology. Thirty-two women were enrolled, 28 of whom (87.5% successfully completed 30 minutes of fetal monitoring including transmission of cardiotocographs to the web portal. Four sessions though completed, were not successfully uploaded to the Cloud storage. Six non-study clinicians interacted with the prototype technology. The primary technical problem observed was a delay in data transmission between the prototype and the web portal, which ranged from 2 to 209 minutes. Delays were ascribed to Wi-Fi connectivity problems. Recorded cardiotocographs received a mean score of 4.2/5 (± 1.0 on ease of readability with an interclass correlation of 0.81(95%CI 0.45, 0.96. Both pregnant women and clinicians found the prototype technology likable (81.3% and 66.7% respectively, useful (96.9% and 66.7% respectively, and would either use it again or recommend its use to another pregnant woman (77.4% and 66.7% respectively. In this pilot study we found that this wireless fetal monitoring prototype technology has potential for use in a United States inpatient setting but would benefit from some technology changes. We found it to be acceptable to both pregnant women and clinicians. Further research is needed to assess feasibility of

  15. Increasing fetal ovine number per gestation alters fetal plasma clinical chemistry values.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zywicki, Micaela; Blohowiak, Sharon E; Magness, Ronald R; Segar, Jeffrey L; Kling, Pamela J

    2016-08-01

    Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is interconnected with developmental programming of lifelong pathophysiology. IUGR is seen in human multifetal pregnancies, with stepwise rises in fetal numbers interfering with placental nutrient delivery. It remains unknown whether fetal blood analyses would reflect fetal nutrition, liver, and excretory function in the last trimester of human or ovine IUGR In an ovine model, we hypothesized that fetal plasma biochemical values would reflect progressive placental, fetal liver, and fetal kidney dysfunction as the number of fetuses per gestation rose. To determine fetal plasma biochemical values in singleton, twin, triplet, and quadruplet/quintuplet ovine gestation, we investigated morphometric measures and comprehensive metabolic panels with nutritional measures, liver enzymes, and placental and fetal kidney excretory measures at gestational day (GD) 130 (90% gestation). As anticipated, placental dysfunction was supported by a stepwise fall in fetal weight, fetal plasma glucose, and triglyceride levels as fetal number per ewe rose. Fetal glucose and triglycerides were directly related to fetal weight. Plasma creatinine, reflecting fetal renal excretory function, and plasma cholesterol, reflecting placental excretory function, were inversely correlated with fetal weight. Progressive biochemical disturbances and growth restriction accompanied the rise in fetal number. Understanding the compensatory and adaptive responses of growth-restricted fetuses at the biochemical level may help explain how metabolic pathways in growth restriction can be predetermined at birth. This physiological understanding is important for clinical care and generating interventional strategies to prevent altered developmental programming in multifetal gestation. © 2016 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American Physiological Society and The Physiological Society.

  16. Syphilis during pregnancy: a preventable threat to maternal-fetal health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rac, Martha W F; Revell, Paula A; Eppes, Catherine S

    2017-04-01

    Syphilis remains the most common congenital infection worldwide and has tremendous consequences for the mother and her developing fetus if left untreated. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of congenital syphilis cases in the United States. Thus, recognition and appropriate treatment of reproductive-age women must be a priority. Testing should be performed at initiation of prenatal care and twice during the third trimester in high-risk patients. There are 2 diagnostic algorithms available and physicians should be aware of which algorithm is utilized by their testing laboratory. Women testing positive for syphilis should undergo a history and physical exam as well as testing for other sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Serofast syphilis can occur in patients with previous adequate treatment but persistent low nontreponemal titers (Syphilis can infect the fetus in all stages of the disease regardless of trimester and can sometimes be detected with ultrasound >20 weeks. The most common findings include hepatomegaly and placentomegaly, but also elevated peak systolic velocity in the middle cerebral artery (indicative of fetal anemia), ascites, and hydrops fetalis. Pregnancies with ultrasound abnormalities are at higher risk of compromise during syphilotherapy as well as fetal treatment failure. Thus, we recommend a pretreatment ultrasound in viable pregnancies when feasible. The only recommended treatment during pregnancy is benzathine penicillin G and it should be administered according to maternal stage of infection per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Women with a penicillin allergy should be desensitized and then treated with penicillin appropriate for their stage of syphilis. The Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction occurs in up to 44% of gravidas and can cause contractions, fetal heart rate abnormalities, and even stillbirth in the most severely affected pregnancies. We recommend all viable pregnancies receive the first

  17. C-14-activity incorporation into the protein of fetal organs of guinea pigs with different maternal placental blood flow and fetal arterial O2-saturation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duenzl, B.

    1981-01-01

    In anaesthesised gravid guinea-pigs the dilate, end section of a placental radial artery was connected to the A.carotis via a flow meter and a throttle in order to measure and widely alter the maternal placental blood flow. Blood samples are taken from the fetal A.carotis, the fetal arterial O 2 -saturation and the Hb-content were determined. By altering the maternal placental blood circulation the fetal arterial O 2 -concentration can stabilised at various levels. In order to study the protein synthesis, under these conditions one infused 185 kBq C-14-leucine over a period of 3 hours into the jugular vein of the fetus. During infusion the radioactive concentrations in whole plasma and plasma water were measured. After the infusion the radioactive concentrations in the tissue fluid, the intracellular fluid and the acid-insoluble tissue fraction (protein) of the heart, kidenys, liver, the muscles of the upper end lower part of the body, the brain and the placenta were measured. The following deductions were drawn from the findings: The maternal placental blood flow vitally influences the activity incorporation per activity concentration in the plasma water. These findings agree with the hypotheses that the maternal blood circulation has an essential influence on the fetal proteins synthesis and that this influence can be attributed to the connection between placenta connection blood flow and oxygen saturation of fetal arterial blood. (orig.) [de

  18. Ultrasound studies of the effects of certain poisonous plants on uterine function and fetal development in livestock.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bunch, T D; Panter, K E; James, L F

    1992-05-01

    Ingestion of locoweed (Astragalus spp. and Oxytropis spp.) by pregnant livestock may result in fetal malformations, delayed placentation, reduced placental and uterine vascular development, hydrops amnii, hydrops allantois, abnormal cotyledonary development, interruption of fetal fluid balance, and abortion. Ultrasonography of pregnant sheep fed locoweed demonstrated that abortion was first preceded by changes in fetal heart rate and strength of contraction and structural changes of the cotyledons, followed by increased accumulation of fetal fluid within the placental membranes and death of the fetus. During pregnancy the toxic agent in locoweed (swainsonine) apparently passes through the placental barrier to the fetus and during lactation through the milk to the neonate. Poison-hemlock (Conium maculatum), wild tree tobacco (Nicotiana glauca), and lunara lupine (Lupinus formosus) all contain piperidine alkaloids and induce fetal malformations, including multiple congenital contractures and cleft palate in livestock. Ultrasonography studies of pregnant sheep and goats gavaged with these plants during 30 to 60 d of gestation suggests that the primary cause of multiple congenital contractures and cleft palate is the degree and the duration of the alkaloid-induced fetal immobilization.

  19. In-utero treatment of hypoplastic left heart syndrome

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lytzen, Rebekka; Helvind, Morten; Jørgensen, Finn Stener

    2015-01-01

    In-utero treatment of fetal aortic stenosis (AS) may prevent hypoplastic left heart syndrome. A girl was diagnosed prenatally with severe AS and was referred to the Women's and Children's Hospital in Linz, Austria, where she underwent an intrauterine valvuloplasty of the aortic valve. Postnatally...

  20. Fetal MEG evoked response latency from beamformer with random field theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCubbin, J; Vrba, J; Murphy, P; Temple, J; Eswaran, H; Lowery, C L; Preissl, H

    2010-01-01

    Analysis of fetal magnetoencephalographic brain recordings is restricted by low signal to noise ratio (SNR) and non-stationarity of the sources. Beamformer techniques have been applied to improve SNR of fetal evoked responses. However, until now the effect of non-stationarity was not taken into account in detail, because the detection of evoked responses is in most cases determined by averaging a large number of trials. We applied a windowing technique to improve the stationarity of the data by using short time segments recorded during a flash-evoked study. In addition, we implemented a random field theory approach for more stringent control of false-positives in the statistical parametric map of the search volume for the beamformer. The search volume was based on detailed individual fetal/maternal biometrics from ultrasound scans and fetal heart localization. Average power over a sliding window within the averaged evoked response against a randomized average background power was used as the test z-statistic. The significance threshold was set at 10% over all members of a contiguous cluster of voxels. There was at least one significant response for 62% of fetal and 95% of newborn recordings with gestational age (GA) between 28 and 45 weeks from 29 subjects. We found that the latency was either substantially unchanged or decreased with increasing GA for most subjects, with a nominal rate of about -11 ms/week. These findings support the anticipated neurophysiological development, provide validation for the beamformer model search as a methodology, and may lead to a clinical test for fetal cognitive development.

  1. Diagnóstico ecocardiográfico de cardiopatías complejas fetales: Estudio de 9 años

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miguel Pérez Ramírez

    2002-12-01

    Full Text Available Se realizó un estudio con ecocardiografía bidimensional a las pacientes que asistieron a la consulta de ultrasonido en el municipio Baracoa, provincia de Guantánamo, en el período comprendido entre enero de 1993 y diciembre del 2001, con el objetivo principal de demostrar la posibilidad de diagnosticar malformaciones cardíacas fetales complejas que no son de centros de referencias de esta afección. Entre otras variables analizadas se hallaron: efectividad del diagnóstico prenatal ecográfico de cardiopatías, tipos de cardiopatías diagnosticadas, tiempo gestacional en el momento de realizarse la ecografía, edad de la paciente embarazada, así como los resultados de las necropsias fetales. Entre los principales resultados que se obtuvieron están: que fueron diagnosticadas 21 cardiopatías, lo que representó el 84 %; la principal cardiopatía compleja diagnosticada fue el ventrículo único con 8; el tiempo gestacional más afectado fue el comprendido entre 25 y 34 semanas; el grupo etáreo más afectado fue el de 19 a 30 años. Se concluye señalando las principales alteraciones ecocardiográficas para este tipo de afección.A bidimensional echocardiography-based study was performed on patients that went to the ultrasound service department in the municipality of Baracoa, Guantánamo province, from January 1993 to December 2001. Its main objective was to prove the possibility of diagnosing complex fetal heart defects that do not correspond to reference centers of this disease. Some of the analyzed variables were: effectiveness of the prenatal echographic diagnosis of heart defects, types of diagnosed heart defects, gestational time at the moment of echography, age of the pregnant patient as well as the results of the fetal necropsies. Among the main results obtained were: twenty-one heart defects were diagnosed for 84% of the total; the main diagnosed heart defect was having only one ventricle in 8 cases; the most affected gestational

  2. Pregnancy outcome of threatened abortion with demonstrable fetal cardiac activity: a cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tongsong, T; Srisomboon, J; Wanapirak, C; Sirichotiyakul, S; Pongsatha, S; Polsrisuthikul, T

    1995-08-01

    Pregnancy with visible fetal heart beat complicated by first trimester threatened abortion had significant increased risk of subsequent spontaneous abortion compared with normal pregnancy. To compare pregnancy outcomes in cases complicated by first trimester threatened abortion with those that were not. Prospective cohort study of 255 cases of first trimester threatened abortions but with visible heart beat and 265 other normal pregnancies. Spontaneous abortion rates of 5.5% (with relative abortal risk of 2.91) was found for study group, compared to 1.88% for controls (p abortion rate than those without.

  3. Fetal thrombocytopenia in pregnancies with fetal human parvovirus-B19 infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melamed, Nir; Whittle, Wendy; Kelly, Edmond N; Windrim, Rory; Seaward, P Gareth R; Keunen, Johannes; Keating, Sarah; Ryan, Greg

    2015-06-01

    Fetal infection with human parvovirus B19 (hParvo-B19) has been associated mainly with fetal anemia, although data regarding other fetal hematologic effects are limited. Our aim was to assess the rate and consequences of severe fetal thrombocytopenia after fetal hParvo-B19 infection. We conducted a retrospective study of pregnancies that were complicated by fetal hParvo-B19 infection that underwent fetal blood sampling (FBS). The characteristics and outcomes of fetuses with severe thrombocytopenia (B19 infection. A total of 37 pregnancies that were affected by fetal hParvo-B19 infection were identified. Of the 29 cases that underwent FBS and had information regarding fetal platelets, 11 cases (38%) were complicated by severe fetal thrombocytopenia. Severely thrombocytopenic fetuses were characterized by a lower hemoglobin concentration (2.6 ± 0.9 g/dL vs 5.5 ± 3.6 g/dL; P = .01), lower reticulocyte count (9.1% ± 2.8% vs 17.3% ± 10.6%; P = .02), and lower gestational age at the time of diagnosis (21.4 ± 3.1 wk vs 23.6 ± 2.2 wk; P = .03). Both the fetal death rate within 48 hours of FBS (27.3% vs 0%; P = .02) and the risk of prematurity (100.0% vs 13.3%; P B19 infection, can be further worsened by IUT, and may be associated with an increased risk of procedure-related fetal loss after either FBS or IUT. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  4. Identification and comparative analyses of myocardial miRNAs involved in the fetal response to maternal obesity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maloyan, Alina; Muralimanoharan, Sribalasubashini; Huffman, Steven; Cox, Laura A; Nathanielsz, Peter W; Myatt, Leslie; Nijland, Mark J

    2013-10-01

    Human and animal studies show that suboptimal intrauterine environments lead to fetal programming, predisposing offspring to disease in later life. Maternal obesity has been shown to program offspring for cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, and obesity. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding RNA molecules that act as key regulators of numerous cellular processes. Compelling evidence links miRNAs to the control of cardiac development and etiology of cardiac pathology; however, little is known about their role in the fetal cardiac response to maternal obesity. Our aim was to sequence and profile the cardiac miRNAs that are dysregulated in the hearts of baboon fetuses born to high fat/high fructose-diet (HFD) fed mothers for comparison with fetal hearts from mothers eating a regular diet. Eighty miRNAs were differentially expressed. Of those, 55 miRNAs were upregulated and 25 downregulated with HFD. Twenty-two miRNAs were mapped to human; 14 of these miRNAs were previously reported to be dysregulated in experimental or human CVD. We used an Ingenuity Pathway Analysis to integrate miRNA profiling and bioinformatics predictions to determine miRNA-regulated processes and genes potentially involved in fetal programming. We found a correlation between miRNA expression and putative gene targets involved in developmental disorders and CVD. Cellular death, growth, and proliferation were the most affected cellular functions in response to maternal obesity. Thus, the current study reveals significant alterations in cardiac miRNA expression in the fetus of obese baboons. The epigenetic modifications caused by adverse prenatal environment may represent one of the mechanisms underlying fetal programming of CVD.

  5. Patterns and predictors of evidence-based medication continuation among hospitalized heart failure patients (from Get With the Guidelines-Heart Failure).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krantz, Mori J; Ambardekar, Amrut V; Kaltenbach, Lisa; Hernandez, Adrian F; Heidenreich, Paul A; Fonarow, Gregg C

    2011-06-15

    Hospitalized patients with heart failure and decreased ejection fraction are at substantial risk for mortality and rehospitalization, yet no acute therapies are proven to decrease this risk. Therefore, in-hospital use of medications proved to decrease long-term mortality is a critical strategy to improve outcomes. Although endorsed in guidelines, predictors of initiation and continuation of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), β blockers, and aldosterone antagonists have not been well studied. We assessed noncontraindicated use patterns for the 3 medications using the Get With the Guidelines-Heart Failure (GWTG-HF) registry from February 2009 through March 2010. Medication continuation was defined as treatment on admission and discharge. Multivariable logistic regression using generalized estimating equations was used to determine factors associated with discharge use. In total 9,474 patients were enrolled during the study period. Of those treated before hospitalization, overall continuation rates were 88.5% for ACE inhibitors/ARBs, 91.6% for β blockers, and 71.9% for aldosterone-antagonists. Of patients untreated before admission, 87.4% had ACE inhibitors/ARBs and 90.1% had β blocker initiated during hospitalization or at discharge, whereas only 25.2% were started on an aldosterone antagonist. In multivariate analysis, admission therapy was most strongly associated with discharge use (adjusted odds ratios 7.4, 6.0, and 20.9 for ACE inhibitors/ARBs, β blockers, and aldosterone antagonists, respectively). Western region, younger age, and academic affiliation were also associated with higher discharge use. Although ACE inhibitor/ARB and β-blocker continuation rates were high, aldosterone antagonist use was lower despite potential eligibility. In conclusion, being admitted on evidence-based medications is the most powerful, independent predictor of discharge use. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Towards 24/7 continuous heart rate monitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tarniceriu, Adrian; Parak, Jakub; Renevey, Philippe; Nurmi, Marko; Bertschi, Mattia; Delgado-Gonzalo, Ricard; Korhonen, Ilkka

    2016-08-01

    Heart rate (HR) and HR variability (HRV) carry rich information about physical activity, mental and physical load, physiological status, and health of an individual. When combined with activity monitoring and personalized physiological modelling, HR/HRV monitoring may be used for monitoring of complex behaviors and impact of behaviors and external factors on the current physiological status of an individual. Optical HR monitoring (OHR) from wrist provides a comfortable and unobtrusive method for HR/HRV monitoring and is better adhered by users than traditional ECG electrodes or chest straps. However, OHR power consumption is significantly higher than that for ECG based methods due to the measurement principle based on optical illumination of the tissue. We developed an algorithmic approach to reduce power consumption of the OHR in 24/7 HR trending. We use continuous activity monitoring and a fast converging frequency domain algorithm to derive a reliable HR estimate in 7.1s (during outdoor sports, in average) to 10.0s (during daily life). The method allows >80% reduction in power consumption in 24/7 OHR monitoring when average HR monitoring is targeted, without significant reduction in tracking accuracy.

  7. Fetal stem cells in combined treatment of chronic heart failure and their effect on morphofunctional parameters of the left ventricle myocardium and cognitive functions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Klunnyk MO

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Mariya O Klunnyk, Nataliia S Sych, Irina G Matiyashchuk, Olena V Ivankova, Marina V Skalozub Cell Therapy Center EmCell, Kyiv, Ukraine Aim: To investigate the effect of combined treatment with the inclusion of fetal stem cells (FSCs on the morphology and functional dynamics of the left ventricle and cognitive functions in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF. Materials and methods: A comparative study was carried out on patients with CHF to examine the effect of combined treatment, including the experimental application of FSCs, on the morphofunctional parameters of the left ventricle and cognitive functions. Patients were examined before FSC treatment (FSCT, and 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after treatment. The control group consisted of 20 CHF patients of similar age, sex, and New York Heart Association class. Results: It has been proven that FSCs positively affect objective and subjective clinical parameters. A significant reduction of serum type B brain natriuretic peptide was reported as early as 1 month after treatment. Significant increases in the left ventricle ejection fraction and decreases of the end diastolic volume were observed 6 months after treatment. Cognitive performance tests showed improvements on the Mini-Mental State Examination and Frontal Assessment Battery (conceptualization, mental flexibility, programming, sensitivity to interference, inhibitory control, and environmental autonomy scales. The treatment resulted in significant improvements in the general score and across all cognitive areas of the Mini-Mental State Examination (recall, orientation, attention, calculation, and complex commands after 3 months, and significant improvements across all Frontal Assessment Battery areas after 6 months. In the control group, these scores showed significant increases only at 6 months after the treatment. In the study group, depression was significantly reduced within 1 month after treatment versus 3 months in the control

  8. Analyse in the patients with refractory heart purification treated by continuous blood purification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cai Xun; Huang Chengwen; Huang Zhongliang

    2006-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the application of continuous blood purification (CBP) and the effect of the angiotensin II (Ang II), aldosterone (ALD), atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) in plasma with refractory heart failure (RHF) treated by CBP. Methods: 35 cases with RHF were treated by CBP. Blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, blood oxygen saturation, blood markers of biochemistry, blood gas analysis, left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF), cardiac function and Ang II, ALD, ANF in plasma were checked before and after treatment. Results: the systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, heart rate, respiration, serum creatinine, blood urea nitroge, Ang II, ALD, ANF in plasma after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment of CBP (P 3 - , PaO 2 , LVEF after treatment were significantly higher than those before treatment of CBP (P + , Na + , Cl - of blood serum were recovered normal after treatment, and cardiac function was recovered (P<0.05, P<0.01). Conclusion: In the patients with RHF, CBP can efficiently treat the water-electrolyte disturbance, keep the acid-base balance, decrease the levels of AngII, ALD, ANF in plasma, clear the inflammatory mediator and improve cardiac function. (authors)

  9. A Novel Technique for Fetal ECG Extraction Using Single-Channel Abdominal Recording

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nannan Zhang

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Non-invasive fetal electrocardiograms (FECGs are an alternative method to standard means of fetal monitoring which permit long-term continual monitoring. However, in abdominal recording, the FECG amplitude is weak in the temporal domain and overlaps with the maternal electrocardiogram (MECG in the spectral domain. Research in the area of non-invasive separations of FECG from abdominal electrocardiograms (AECGs is in its infancy and several studies are currently focusing on this area. An adaptive noise canceller (ANC is commonly used for cancelling interference in cases where the reference signal only correlates with an interference signal, and not with a signal of interest. However, results from some existing studies suggest that propagation of electrocardiogram (ECG signals from the maternal heart to the abdomen is nonlinear, hence the adaptive filter approach may fail if the thoracic and abdominal MECG lack strict waveform similarity. In this study, singular value decomposition (SVD and smooth window (SW techniques are combined to build a reference signal in an ANC. This is to avoid the limitation that thoracic MECGs recorded separately must be similar to abdominal MECGs in waveform. Validation of the proposed method with r01 and r07 signals from a public dataset, and a self-recorded private dataset showed that the proposed method achieved F1 scores of 99.61%, 99.28% and 98.58%, respectively for the detection of fetal QRS. Compared with four other single-channel methods, the proposed method also achieved higher accuracy values of 99.22%, 98.57% and 97.21%, respectively. The findings from this study suggest that the proposed method could potentially aid accurate extraction of FECG from MECG recordings in both clinical and commercial applications.

  10. Effects of L-glutamine supplementation on maternal and fetal hemodynamics in gestating ewes exposed to alcohol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sawant, Onkar B; Ramadoss, Jayanth; Hankins, Gary D; Wu, Guoyao; Washburn, Shannon E

    2014-08-01

    Not much is known about effects of gestational alcohol exposure on maternal and fetal cardiovascular adaptations. This study determined whether maternal binge alcohol exposure and L-glutamine supplementation could affect maternal-fetal hemodynamics and fetal regional brain blood flow during the brain growth spurt period. Pregnant sheep were randomly assigned to one of four groups: saline control, alcohol (1.75-2.5 g/kg body weight), glutamine (100 mg/kg body weight) or alcohol + glutamine. A chronic weekend binge drinking paradigm between gestational days (GD) 99 and 115 was utilized. Fetuses were surgically instrumented on GD 117 ± 1 and studied on GD 120 ± 1. Binge alcohol exposure caused maternal acidemia, hypercapnea, and hypoxemia. Fetuses were acidemic and hypercapnic, but not hypoxemic. Alcohol exposure increased fetal mean arterial pressure, whereas fetal heart rate was unaltered. Alcohol exposure resulted in ~40 % reduction in maternal uterine artery blood flow. Labeled microsphere analyses showed that alcohol induced >2-fold increases in fetal whole brain blood flow. The elevation in fetal brain blood flow was region-specific, particularly affecting the developing cerebellum, brain stem, and olfactory bulb. Maternal L-glutamine supplementation attenuated alcohol-induced maternal hypercapnea, fetal acidemia and increases in fetal brain blood flow. L-Glutamine supplementation did not affect uterine blood flow. Collectively, alcohol exposure alters maternal and fetal acid-base balance, decreases uterine blood flow, and alters fetal regional brain blood flow. Importantly, L-glutamine supplementation mitigates alcohol-induced acid-base imbalances and alterations in fetal regional brain blood flow. Further studies are warranted to elucidate mechanisms responsible for alcohol-induced programming of maternal uterine artery and fetal circulation adaptations in pregnancy.

  11. Increased ventricular preload is compensated by myocyte proliferation in normal and hypoplastic fetal chick left ventricle

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Dealmeida, A.; McQuinn, T. C.; Sedmera, David

    2007-01-01

    Roč. 100, - (2007), s. 1363-1370 ISSN 0009-7330 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50450515 Keywords : chick embryo * hemodynamics * fetal surgery * hypoplastic left heart syndrome Subject RIV: FA - Cardiovascular Disease s incl. Cardiotharic Surgery Impact factor: 9.721, year: 2007

  12. [Prenatal diagnosis and treatment of fetal choroid plexus cysts].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Mei-Ying; Wang, Hong-Bin; Huang, Xin; Wei, Yan-Qiu

    2007-09-01

    To discuss the clinical management and significance of the prenatal diagnosis of Fetal Choroid Plexus Cysts (CPC). From May 2004 to March 2007, 55 cases of fetal CPC diagnosed by B-ultrasound during second trimester were prospectively studied. Each case was studied regarding fetal chromosome karyotype, disappearance weeks of the cyst, the clinical outcome and follow-up results respectively. The cases were diagnosed during 16 - 25 gestational weeks. The diameters of the cysts varied from 0.2 cm to 2.4 cm. There were 25 cases of bilateral cysts and 30 cases of unilateral or 50 cases of isolated CPC and 5 cases of complicated CPC. The cysts of all cases who continued pregnancy disappeared before 28 weeks. Fetal chromosome karyotypes were obtained in 50 cases. Among them, two cases were 18-trisomy, and one case was 21-trisomy. Five cases were terminated pregnancy because of abnormal chromosome karyotype or malformation during second trimester. One neonate was diagnosed as ventricular septal defect among 50 cases of follow up. Among these six cases, three were from advanced-age pregnant women, five cases were with abnormal fetal structure and five cases were with the diameter of bilateral or unilateral cysts more than 1.0 cm. (1) Fetal CPC can be diagnosed during second trimester, and the majority disappear before 28 gestational weeks. (2) High risk factors for fetal abnormal chromosome karyotype may be: advanced-age pregnant women, abnormal structure of fetus, and the diameter of bilateral or unilateral cyst more than 1.0 cm. It is suggested that fetal CPC with the high risks should receive fetal chromosome karyotype test during pregnancy.

  13. 1st and 2nd Trimester Headsize in Fetuses with Congenital Heart Disease: A Cohort Study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lauridsen, Mette Høj; Petersen, Olav Bjørn; Vestergaard, Else Marie

    2014-01-01

    and screening for fetal malformations is carried out. Our cohort includes all fetuses in Western Denmark (2.9 million inhabitants) screened in between January 1st 2012 and December 31st 2013, diagnosed with any structural, non-syndromic congenital heart disease either during pregnancy or up to 6 months after......Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is associated with neuro-developmental disorders. The influence of CHD on the brain may be present in the fetus. We hypothesize that fetal cerebral growth is impaired as early as 2nd trimester. Aim: To investigate if fetal cerebral growth is associated...... birth. Results 276 fetuses with CHD were identified. 114 (41%) were genetically screened primarily by chromosomal microarray analysis (n=82). Fetuses with identified chromosomal abnormalities were excluded as were multiple gestation fetuses and fetuses with major extra cardiac malformations. Data from...

  14. Early in vivo experience with the pediatric continuous-flow total artificial heart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karimov, Jamshid H; Horvath, David J; Byram, Nicole; Sunagawa, Gengo; Kuban, Barry D; Gao, Shengqiang; Dessoffy, Raymond; Fukamachi, Kiyotaka

    2018-03-30

    Heart transplantation in infants and children is an accepted therapy for end-stage heart failure, but donor organ availability is low and always uncertain. Mechanical circulatory support is another standard option, but there is a lack of intracorporeal devices due to size and functional range. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the in vivo performance of our initial prototype of a pediatric continuous-flow total artificial heart (P-CFTAH), comprising a dual pump with one motor and one rotating assembly, supported by a hydrodynamic bearing. In acute studies, the P-CFTAH was implanted in 4 lambs (average weight: 28.7 ± 2.3 kg) via a median sternotomy under cardiopulmonary bypass. Pulmonary and systemic pump performance parameters were recorded. The experiments showed good anatomical fit and easy implantation, with an average aortic cross-clamp time of 98 ± 18 minutes. Baseline hemodynamics were stable in all 4 animals (pump speed: 3.4 ± 0.2 krpm; pump flow: 2.1 ± 0.9 liters/min; power: 3.0 ± 0.8 W; arterial pressure: 68 ± 10 mm Hg; left and right atrial pressures: 6 ± 1 mm Hg, for both). Any differences between left and right atrial pressures were maintained within the intended limit of ±5 mm Hg over a wide range of ratios of systemic-to-pulmonary vascular resistance (0.7 to 12), with and without pump-speed modulation. Pump-speed modulation was successfully performed to create arterial pulsation. This initial P-CFTAH prototype met the proposed requirements for self-regulation, performance, and pulse modulation. Copyright © 2018 International Society for the Heart and Lung Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Radiation absorbed dose to the human fetal thyroid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watson, E.E.

    1992-01-01

    The embryo/fetus is recognized to be particularly susceptible to damage from exposure to radiation. Many advisory groups have studied available information concerning radiation doses and radiation effects with the goal of reducing the risk to the embryo/fetus. Of particular interest are radioactive isotopes of iodine. Radioiodine taken into the body of a pregnant woman presents a possible hazard for the embryo/fetus. The fetal thyroid begins to concentrate iodine at about 13 weeks after conception and continues to do so throughout gestation. At term, the organic iodine concentration in the fetal blood is about 75% of that in the mother's blood. This paper presents a review the models that have been proposed for the calculation of the dose to the fetal thyroid from radioisotopes of iodine taken into the body of the pregnant woman as sodium iodide. A somewhat different model has been proposed, and estimates of the radiation dose to the fetal thyroid calculated from this model are given for each month of pregnancy from 123 I , 124 I , 125 I , and 131 I

  16. FAST (Four chamber view And Swing Technique) Echo: a Novel and Simple Algorithm to Visualize Standard Fetal Echocardiographic Planes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeo, Lami; Romero, Roberto; Jodicke, Cristiano; Oggè, Giovanna; Lee, Wesley; Kusanovic, Juan Pedro; Vaisbuch, Edi; Hassan, Sonia S.

    2010-01-01

    Objective To describe a novel and simple algorithm (FAST Echo: Four chamber view And Swing Technique) to visualize standard diagnostic planes of fetal echocardiography from dataset volumes obtained with spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) and applying a new display technology (OmniView). Methods We developed an algorithm to image standard fetal echocardiographic planes by drawing four dissecting lines through the longitudinal view of the ductal arch contained in a STIC volume dataset. Three of the lines are locked to provide simultaneous visualization of targeted planes, and the fourth line (unlocked) “swings” through the ductal arch image (“swing technique”), providing an infinite number of cardiac planes in sequence. Each line generated the following plane(s): 1) Line 1: three-vessels and trachea view; 2) Line 2: five-chamber view and long axis view of the aorta (obtained by rotation of the five-chamber view on the y-axis); 3) Line 3: four-chamber view; and 4) “Swing” line: three-vessels and trachea view, five-chamber view and/or long axis view of the aorta, four-chamber view, and stomach. The algorithm was then tested in 50 normal hearts (15.3 – 40 weeks of gestation) and visualization rates for cardiac diagnostic planes were calculated. To determine if the algorithm could identify planes that departed from the normal images, we tested the algorithm in 5 cases with proven congenital heart defects. Results In normal cases, the FAST Echo algorithm (3 locked lines and rotation of the five-chamber view on the y-axis) was able to generate the intended planes (longitudinal view of the ductal arch, pulmonary artery, three-vessels and trachea view, five-chamber view, long axis view of the aorta, four-chamber view): 1) individually in 100% of cases [except for the three-vessel and trachea view, which was seen in 98% (49/50)]; and 2) simultaneously in 98% (49/50). The “swing technique” was able to generate the three-vessels and trachea view, five

  17. Four-chamber view and 'swing technique' (FAST) echo: a novel and simple algorithm to visualize standard fetal echocardiographic planes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeo, L; Romero, R; Jodicke, C; Oggè, G; Lee, W; Kusanovic, J P; Vaisbuch, E; Hassan, S

    2011-04-01

    To describe a novel and simple algorithm (four-chamber view and 'swing technique' (FAST) echo) for visualization of standard diagnostic planes of fetal echocardiography from dataset volumes obtained with spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) and applying a new display technology (OmniView). We developed an algorithm to image standard fetal echocardiographic planes by drawing four dissecting lines through the longitudinal view of the ductal arch contained in a STIC volume dataset. Three of the lines are locked to provide simultaneous visualization of targeted planes, and the fourth line (unlocked) 'swings' through the ductal arch image (swing technique), providing an infinite number of cardiac planes in sequence. Each line generates the following plane(s): (a) Line 1: three-vessels and trachea view; (b) Line 2: five-chamber view and long-axis view of the aorta (obtained by rotation of the five-chamber view on the y-axis); (c) Line 3: four-chamber view; and (d) 'swing line': three-vessels and trachea view, five-chamber view and/or long-axis view of the aorta, four-chamber view and stomach. The algorithm was then tested in 50 normal hearts in fetuses at 15.3-40 weeks' gestation and visualization rates for cardiac diagnostic planes were calculated. To determine whether the algorithm could identify planes that departed from the normal images, we tested the algorithm in five cases with proven congenital heart defects. In normal cases, the FAST echo algorithm (three locked lines and rotation of the five-chamber view on the y-axis) was able to generate the intended planes (longitudinal view of the ductal arch, pulmonary artery, three-vessels and trachea view, five-chamber view, long-axis view of the aorta, four-chamber view) individually in 100% of cases (except for the three-vessels and trachea view, which was seen in 98% (49/50)) and simultaneously in 98% (49/50). The swing technique was able to generate the three-vessels and trachea view, five-chamber view and/or long

  18. Actual imaging time in fetal MRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brugger, Peter C.; Prayer, Daniela

    2012-01-01

    Objective: Safety issues in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are important, especially in fetal MRI. However, since basic data with respect of the effective exposure time in fetal MRI are not available, this study aimed to determine the actual imaging time during a fetal MRI study. Methods: 100 fetal MRI studies of singleton pregnancies performed on a 1.5 T system were analysed with respect to study duration (from starting the survey scan until the end of study), the number of sequences acquired, and the actual imaging time, which was calculated by adding up scan time of each sequence. Furthermore, each sequence type was analysed regarding the number of acquisitions, specific absorption rates (SAR), and duration. Results: Mean study duration was 34.6 min (range: 14–58 min; standard deviation (SD): 9.7 min), the average number of sequences acquired was 26.6 (range: 11–44, SD: 6.6). Actual scan time averaged 11.4 min (range: 4–19 min, SD: 4.0 min). Ultrafast T2-weighted and steady-state free-precession sequences accounted for 62.3% of actual scan time, and were distributed over the whole duration of the study. Conclusion: Actual imaging time only accounts for 33% of total study time and is not continuous. The remaining time is consumed by the preparation phases of the scanner, and is spent with planning sequences and the eventual repositioning of the coil and/or pregnant woman. These data may help to more accurately estimate the exposure to radiofrequency deposition and noise during fetal MRI studies.

  19. Average fetal depth in utero: data for estimation of fetal absorbed radiation dose

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ragozzino, M.W.; Breckle, R.; Hill, L.M.; Gray, J.E.

    1986-01-01

    To estimate fetal absorbed dose from radiographic examinations, the depth from the anterior maternal surface to the midline of the fetal skull and abdomen was measured by ultrasound in 97 pregnant women. The relationships between fetal depth, fetal presentation, and maternal parameters of height, weight, anteroposterior (AP) thickness, gestational age, placental location, and bladder volume were analyzed. Maternal AP thickness (MAP) can be estimated from gestational age, maternal height, and maternal weight. Fetal midskull and abdominal depths were nearly equal. Fetal depth normalized to MAP was independent or nearly independent of maternal parameters and fetal presentation. These data enable a reasonable estimation of absorbed dose to fetal brain, abdomen, and whole body

  20. Taquiarritmias supraventriculares no feto. Experiência de uma unidade de referência em cardiologia fetal Fetal supraventricular tachyarrhythmias. Experience of a fetal cardiology reference center

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paulo Zielinsky

    1998-05-01

    referred for fetal cardiac evaluation. RESULTS: There were 17 fetuses with the diagnosis of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT and 8 patients with atrial flutter (AF. Gestational age ranged from 26 to 40 weeks. Twelve patients were hydropic at presentation (6 with SVT and 6 AF. Four fetuses with SVT showed structural abnormalities (two with Ebsten's anomaly and two with VSD. All patients were admitted to the Fetal Cardiology Unit for monitoring and treatment. Among 17 fetuses with SVT, twelve showed good response to digoxin administration, but this drug was not useful in any of the patients with flutter. In two patients with SVT and in six with AF, the pregnancy was interrupted to perform post-natal cardioversion. The mortality rate was 3/17 in the SVT group (including 2 patients with ebstein's anomaly and 0/8 in the flutter group CONCLUSION: Fetal supraventricular tachyarrithmias are rare in the general population. Nevertheless, the fetus may present with severe heart failure and death. Considering the satisfactory therapeutic response, accurate diagnosis and early treatment of these conditions are extremely important.

  1. Conotruncal anomalies in the fetus: Referral patterns and pregnancy outcomes in a dedicated fetal cardiology unit in South India

    OpenAIRE

    Vaidyanathan, Balu; Kumar, Shine; Sudhakar, Abish; Kumar, Raman Krishna

    2013-01-01

    Objective: To describe the referral patterns and pregnancy outcomes of fetuses with conotruncal anomalies (CTA) from a fetal cardiology unit in South India. Methods: Records of 68 women identified to have diagnosis of CTA on fetal echocardiography (mean gestational age 26.8 ? 5.9 weeks; range 17-38 weeks) during the period 2008-2011 were reviewed. Results: The most common indication for referral was suspected congenital heart disease during routine antenatal scan (89.7%). The various CTA diag...

  2. An advanced algorithm for fetal heart rate estimation from non-invasive low electrode density recordings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dessì, Alessia; Pani, Danilo; Raffo, Luigi

    2014-01-01

    Non-invasive fetal electrocardiography is still an open research issue. The recent publication of an annotated dataset on Physionet providing four-channel non-invasive abdominal ECG traces promoted an international challenge on the topic. Starting from that dataset, an algorithm for the identification of the fetal QRS complexes from a reduced number of electrodes and without any a priori information about the electrode positioning has been developed, entering into the top ten best-performing open-source algorithms presented at the challenge. In this paper, an improved version of that algorithm is presented and evaluated exploiting the same challenge metrics. It is mainly based on the subtraction of the maternal QRS complexes in every lead, obtained by synchronized averaging of morphologically similar complexes, the filtering of the maternal P and T waves and the enhancement of the fetal QRS through independent component analysis (ICA) applied on the processed signals before a final fetal QRS detection stage. The RR time series of both the mother and the fetus are analyzed to enhance pseudoperiodicity with the aim of correcting wrong annotations. The algorithm has been designed and extensively evaluated on the open dataset A (N = 75), and finally evaluated on datasets B (N = 100) and C (N = 272) to have the mean scores over data not used during the algorithm development. Compared to the results achieved by the previous version of the algorithm, the current version would mark the 5th and 4th position in the final ranking related to the events 1 and 2, reserved to the open-source challenge entries, taking into account both official and unofficial entrants. On dataset A, the algorithm achieves 0.982 median sensitivity and 0.976 median positive predictivity. (paper)

  3. Prenatal Diagnosis of Fetal Encephalomalacia after Maternal Diabetic Ketoacidosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Love, Rozalyn; Lee, Amy; Matiasek, April; Carter, William; Ylagan, Marissa

    2014-01-01

    Introduction Encephalomalacia in a developing fetus is a rare and devastating neurological finding on radiologic imaging. Maternal diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) can lead to metabolic and vascular derangements which can cause fetal encephalomalacia. Case We report the case of a 27-year-old pregnant woman with White's Class C diabetes mellitus who presented in the 25th week of gestation with DKA. Four weeks after her discharge, marked fetal cerebral ventriculomegaly was noted on ultrasound. A subsequent fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated extensive, symmetric cystic encephalomalacia, primarily involving both cerebral hemispheres. The pregnancy was continued with close fetal and maternal surveillance. The patient underwent a repeat cesarean delivery in her 37th week. The infant had a 1 month neonatal intensive care unit stay with care rendered by a multiple disciplinary team of pediatric subspecialists. The postnatal course was complicated by global hypotonia, poor feeding, delayed development and ultimately required anticonvulsants for recurrent seizures. He died at the age of 9 months from aspiration during a seizure. Discussion Although the maternal mortality from DKA has declined, DKA still confers significant neurological fetal morbidity to its survivors. PMID:25452892

  4. Prenatal Diagnosis of Fetal Encephalomalacia after Maternal Diabetic Ketoacidosis

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    Rozalyn Love

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Introduction - Encephalomalacia in a developing fetus is a rare and devastating neurological finding on radiologic imaging. Maternal diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA can lead to metabolic and vascular derangements which can cause fetal encephalomalacia. Case - We report the case of a 27-year-old pregnant woman with White's Class C diabetes mellitus who presented in the 25th week of gestation with DKA. Four weeks after her discharge, marked fetal cerebral ventriculomegaly was noted on ultrasound. A subsequent fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI demonstrated extensive, symmetric cystic encephalomalacia, primarily involving both cerebral hemispheres. The pregnancy was continued with close fetal and maternal surveillance. The patient underwent a repeat cesarean delivery in her 37th week. The infant had a 1 month neonatal intensive care unit stay with care rendered by a multiple disciplinary team of pediatric subspecialists. The postnatal course was complicated by global hypotonia, poor feeding, delayed development and ultimately required anticonvulsants for recurrent seizures. He died at the age of 9 months from aspiration during a seizure. Discussion - Although the maternal mortality from DKA has declined, DKA still confers significant neurological fetal morbidity to its survivors.

  5. Prenatal diagnosis of fetal encephalomalacia after maternal diabetic ketoacidosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Love, Rozalyn; Lee, Amy; Matiasek, April; Carter, William; Ylagan, Marissa

    2014-11-01

    Introduction Encephalomalacia in a developing fetus is a rare and devastating neurological finding on radiologic imaging. Maternal diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) can lead to metabolic and vascular derangements which can cause fetal encephalomalacia. Case We report the case of a 27-year-old pregnant woman with White's Class C diabetes mellitus who presented in the 25th week of gestation with DKA. Four weeks after her discharge, marked fetal cerebral ventriculomegaly was noted on ultrasound. A subsequent fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated extensive, symmetric cystic encephalomalacia, primarily involving both cerebral hemispheres. The pregnancy was continued with close fetal and maternal surveillance. The patient underwent a repeat cesarean delivery in her 37th week. The infant had a 1 month neonatal intensive care unit stay with care rendered by a multiple disciplinary team of pediatric subspecialists. The postnatal course was complicated by global hypotonia, poor feeding, delayed development and ultimately required anticonvulsants for recurrent seizures. He died at the age of 9 months from aspiration during a seizure. Discussion Although the maternal mortality from DKA has declined, DKA still confers significant neurological fetal morbidity to its survivors.

  6. Fetal behavioral teratology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Visser, Gerard H A; Mulder, Eduard J H; Tessa Ververs, F F

    2010-10-01

    Ultrasound studies of fetal motor behavior provide direct – in vivo – insight in the functioning of the motor component of the fetal central nervous system. In this article, studies are reviewed showing changes in the first timetable of appearance of fetal movements, changes in quality and/or quantity of movements and disturbances in the development of fetal behavioral states in case of endogenous malfunctions, maternal diseases and exogenous behavioral teratogens.

  7. Did antepartum hypoxic insult caused by fetal vessel thrombosis influence the procalcitonin level in umbilical blood? A case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaneko, Masatoki; Yamauchi, Aya; Yamashita, Rie; Sato, Yuichiro; Kodama, Yuki; Sameshima, Hiroshi

    2015-11-01

    We report a case of marked elevation of the procalcitonin level in umbilical blood and neonatal blood at birth. The mother did not perceive fetal motion. Antepartum fetal heart rate monitoring showed a loss of variability and absence of acceleration. No fetal breathing movement, fetal movement, or fetal tone were observed by ultrasonography. The female neonate was delivered by cesarean section at 25 weeks of gestation, with birthweight 774 g. The umbilical arterial pH value at birth was 7.29. Mild elevation in interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α in umbilical blood were observed. Cytochrome c showed a high level in umbilical and neonatal blood at birth. Placental histopathology revealed multiple fetal vessel thrombosis in the large stem villi and chorionic vessels. The neonate showed no infectious signs throughout the neonatal period. Computed tomography at 3 months of age revealed atrophy in the cerebrum and cerebellum. At 1 year after birth, the infant showed spastic quadriplegia. In this case, antepartum asphyxia due to fetal vessel thrombosis may have influenced the elevation of procalcitonin level in umbilical blood and neonatal blood at birth. © 2015 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

  8. Noninvasive Recording of True-to-Form Fetal ECG during the Third Trimester of Pregnancy

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    Istvan Peterfi

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. The aim of the study was to develop a complex electrophysiological measurement system (hardware and software which uses the methods of electrophysiology and provides significant information about the intrauterine status of the fetus, intending to obtain true-to-form, morphologically evaluated fetal ECG from transabdominal maternal lead. Results. The present method contains many novel ideas that allow creating true-to-form noninvasive fetal ECG in the third trimester of the pregnancy in 80% of the cases. Such ideas are the telemetric data collection, the “cleanse” of the real time recording from the maternal ECG, and the use of the cardiotocograph (CTG that allows identifying the fetal heart events. The advantage of this developed system is that it does not require any qualified staff, because both the extraction of the information from the abdominal recording and the processing of the data are automatic. Discussion. Although the idea of a noninvasive fetal electrocardiography is more than 100 years old still there is no simple, effective, and cheap method available that would enable an extensive use. This developed system can be used in the third trimester of the pregnancy efficiently. It can produce true-to-form fetal ECGs with amplitude less than 10 µV.

  9. Prenatal management and perinatal outcome in giant placental chorioangioma complicated with hydrops fetalis, fetal anemia and maternal mirror syndrome

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    García-Díaz Lutgardo

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Giant placental chorioangiomas have been associated with a number of severe fetal complications and high perinatal mortality. Case presentation We report a case of giant chorioangioma with fetal hydrops, additionally complicated by severe anemia, mild cardiomegaly with hyperdinamic heart circulation and maternal mirror syndrome. Intrauterine blood transfusion and amniodrainage was performed at 29 weeks. Worsening of the fetal and maternal condition prompted us to proceed with delivery at 29 + 5 weeks. The newborn died 3 hours later due to pulmonary hypoplasia and hemodynamic failure. Maternal course was favourable, mirror syndrome resolved in the second day and the patient was discharged four days following delivery. Conclusions In the case described here, fetal condition got worse despite of the anemia correction and amniodrainage. Our outcome raises the issue whether additional intrauterine clinical intervention, as intersticial laser, should have been performed to stop further deterioration of the fetal condition when progressive severe hydrops develops.

  10. Noninvasive fetal QRS detection using an echo state network and dynamic programming.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lukoševičius, Mantas; Marozas, Vaidotas

    2014-08-01

    We address a classical fetal QRS detection problem from abdominal ECG recordings with a data-driven statistical machine learning approach. Our goal is to have a powerful, yet conceptually clean, solution. There are two novel key components at the heart of our approach: an echo state recurrent neural network that is trained to indicate fetal QRS complexes, and several increasingly sophisticated versions of statistics-based dynamic programming algorithms, which are derived from and rooted in probability theory. We also employ a standard technique for preprocessing and removing maternal ECG complexes from the signals, but do not take this as the main focus of this work. The proposed approach is quite generic and can be extended to other types of signals and annotations. Open-source code is provided.

  11. Simulation of dilated heart failure with continuous flow circulatory support.

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    Yajuan Wang

    Full Text Available Lumped parameter models have been employed for decades to simulate important hemodynamic couplings between a left ventricular assist device (LVAD and the native circulation. However, these studies seldom consider the pathological descending limb of the Frank-Starling response of the overloaded ventricle. This study introduces a dilated heart failure model featuring a unimodal end systolic pressure-volume relationship (ESPVR to address this critical shortcoming. The resulting hemodynamic response to mechanical circulatory support are illustrated through numerical simulations of a rotodynamic, continuous flow ventricular assist device (cfVAD coupled to systemic and pulmonary circulations with baroreflex control. The model further incorporated septal interaction to capture the influence of left ventricular (LV unloading on right ventricular function. Four heart failure conditions were simulated (LV and bi-ventricular failure with/without pulmonary hypertension in addition to normal baseline. Several metrics of LV function, including cardiac output and stroke work, exhibited a unimodal response whereby initial unloading improved function, and further unloading depleted preload reserve thereby reducing ventricular output. The concept of extremal loading was introduced to reflect the loading condition in which the intrinsic LV stroke work is maximized. Simulation of bi-ventricular failure with pulmonary hypertension revealed inadequacy of LV support alone. These simulations motivate the implementation of an extremum tracking feedback controller to potentially optimize ventricular recovery.

  12. A randomised clinical trial of intrapartum fetal monitoring with computer analysis and alerts versus previously available monitoring

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    Santos Cristina

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Intrapartum fetal hypoxia remains an important cause of death and permanent handicap and in a significant proportion of cases there is evidence of suboptimal care related to fetal surveillance. Cardiotocographic (CTG monitoring remains the basis of intrapartum surveillance, but its interpretation by healthcare professionals lacks reproducibility and the technology has not been shown to improve clinically important outcomes. The addition of fetal electrocardiogram analysis has increased the potential to avoid adverse outcomes, but CTG interpretation remains its main weakness. A program for computerised analysis of intrapartum fetal signals, incorporating real-time alerts for healthcare professionals, has recently been developed. There is a need to determine whether this technology can result in better perinatal outcomes. Methods/design This is a multicentre randomised clinical trial. Inclusion criteria are: women aged ≥ 16 years, able to provide written informed consent, singleton pregnancies ≥ 36 weeks, cephalic presentation, no known major fetal malformations, in labour but excluding active second stage, planned for continuous CTG monitoring, and no known contra-indication for vaginal delivery. Eligible women will be randomised using a computer-generated randomisation sequence to one of the two arms: continuous computer analysis of fetal monitoring signals with real-time alerts (intervention arm or continuous CTG monitoring as previously performed (control arm. Electrocardiographic monitoring and fetal scalp blood sampling will be available in both arms. The primary outcome measure is the incidence of fetal metabolic acidosis (umbilical artery pH ecf > 12 mmol/L. Secondary outcome measures are: caesarean section and instrumental vaginal delivery rates, use of fetal blood sampling, 5-minute Apgar score Discussion This study will provide evidence of the impact of intrapartum monitoring with computer analysis and real

  13. The effects of corticotrophin-releasing factor and two antagonists on breathing movements in fetal sheep.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bennet, L; Johnston, B M; Vale, W W; Gluckman, P D

    1990-01-01

    1. The respiratory effects of corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) and the CRF antagonists alpha-helical CRF 9-41 (alpha hCRF) and [DPhe 12, Nle 21-38] rCRF (12-41) (DPhe CRF) have been studied in unanaesthetized fetal lambs of 125-140 days gestation. 2. CRF when given as a 10 micrograms bolus followed by a 5 micrograms h-1 infusion into a lateral cerebral ventricle caused prolonged continuous fetal breathing movements which were stimulated in both amplitude and frequency but which did not persist during hypoxia. 3. Lower doses of CRF (20 ng bolus followed by 10 ng h-1) increased the amplitude but not the frequency of fetal breathing movements which did not become continuous. 4. At higher doses (20 micrograms bolus followed by 10-15 micrograms h-1) CRF induced cerebral convulsions which were also associated with fetal breathing movements of increased amplitude and frequency. 5. The CRF antagonists alpha hCRF and DPhe CRF both inhibited fetal breathing movements and induced a prolonged apnoea which was resistant to the stimulatory effects of 5-6% hypercapnia. 6. We conclude that CRF stimulates breathing movements in the fetal lamb. The finding that administration of the CRF antagonists alone cause apnoea suggests that CRF may have a tonic role in the regulation of fetal breathing movements. Images Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 PMID:2348387

  14. Cardiac-specific activation of Cre expression at late fetal development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Opherk, Jan P.; Yampolsky, Peter; Hardt, Stefan E.; Schoels, Wolfgang; Katus, Hugo A.; Koenen, Michael; Zehelein, Joerg

    2007-01-01

    In a first step towards dissecting molecular mechanisms that contribute to the development of cardiac diseases, we have generated transgenic mice that express a Cre-GFP fusion protein under the transcriptional control of a 4.3 kb murine cardiac Troponin I gene (cTnI) promoter. Cre-GFP expression, similar in three transgenic lines, is described in one line. In mouse embryos, transgenic for the Cre-GFP and ROSA lacZ reporter allele, first Cre-mediated recombination appeared at 16.5 dpc selectively at the heart. Like the endogenous cTnI gene, transgenic Cre expression showed a slow rise through fetal development that increased neonatally. Bitransgenic hearts, stained at 30 days of age, showed intense signals in ventricular and atrial myocytes while no recombination occurred in other tissues. The delayed onset of Cre activity in cTnI-Cre mice could provide a useful genetic tool to evaluate the function of loxP targeted cardiac genes without interference of recombination during early heart development

  15. Fetal QRS extraction from abdominal recordings via model-based signal processing and intelligent signal merging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haghpanahi, Masoumeh; Borkholder, David A

    2014-01-01

    Noninvasive fetal ECG (fECG) monitoring has potential applications in diagnosing congenital heart diseases in a timely manner and assisting clinicians to make more appropriate decisions during labor. However, despite advances in signal processing and machine learning techniques, the analysis of fECG signals has still remained in its preliminary stages. In this work, we describe an algorithm to automatically locate QRS complexes in noninvasive fECG signals obtained from a set of four electrodes placed on the mother’s abdomen. The algorithm is based on an iterative decomposition of the maternal and fetal subspaces and filtering of the maternal ECG (mECG) components from the fECG recordings. Once the maternal components are removed, a novel merging technique is applied to merge the signals and detect the fetal QRS (fQRS) complexes. The algorithm was trained and tested on the fECG datasets provided by the PhysioNet/CinC challenge 2013. The final results indicate that the algorithm is able to detect fetal peaks for a variety of signals with different morphologies and strength levels encountered in clinical practice. (paper)

  16. Fetal echocardiography

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007340.htm Fetal echocardiography To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. Fetal echocardiography is a test that uses sound waves ( ultrasound ) ...

  17. Ultrasound assessment of the fetal biophysical profile: What does an radiologist need to know?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guimaraes Filho, Helio Antonio; Araujo Junior, Edward; Marcondes Machado Nardozza, Luciano; Linhares Dias da Costa, Lavoisier; Fernandes Moron, Antonio; Mattar, Rosiane

    2008-01-01

    Proposed by Frank Manning about 26 years ago, fetal biophysical profile has been incorporated to the propaedeutics of non-invasive fetal well being assessment in high-risk gestations. Despite the existence of other methods for assessing fetal vitality, as Doppler flowmetry, the biophysical profile continues to be important in estimating the risk of hypoxia and perinatal morbimortality for those fetuses. In the present article, the authors review the regulatory mechanisms of fetal biophysical activities, as well as physiological and pathological factors that interfere with them. The main objective of the study is to discuss the present and important aspects of the method, and the practical applications and interpretation of its findings, in order to help radiologists improve their knowledge in this specific area of fetal ultrasonography

  18. Continuous ambulatory right heart pressure measurements with an implantable hemodynamic monitor: a multicenter, 12-month follow-up study of patients with chronic heart failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magalski, Anthony; Adamson, Philip; Gadler, Frederick; Böehm, Michael; Steinhaus, David; Reynolds, Dwight; Vlach, Kathryn; Linde, Cecilia; Cremers, Bodo; Sparks, Brandon; Bennett, Tom

    2002-04-01

    We describe the performance of an implantable hemodynamic monitor (IHM) that allows continuous recording of heart rate, patient activity levels, and right ventricular systolic, right ventricular diastolic, and estimated pulmonary artery diastolic pressures. Pressure parameters derived from the implantable monitor were correlated to measurements made with a balloon-tipped catheter to establish accuracy and reproducibility over time in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). IHM devices were implanted in 32 patients with CHF (left ventricular ejection fraction, 29% +/- 11%; range, 14%-62%) and were tested with right heart catheterization at implantation and 3, 6, and 12 months later. Hemodynamic variables were digitally recorded simultaneously from the IHM and catheter. Values were recorded during supine rest, peak response of Valsalva maneuver, sitting, peak of a 2-stage (25-50 W) bicycle exercise test, and final rest period. The median of 21 paired beat-to-beat cardiac cycles was analyzed for each intervention. A total of 217 paired data values from all maneuvers were analyzed for 32 patients at implantation and 129 paired data values for 20 patients at 1 year. The IHM and catheter values were not different at baseline or at 1 year (P >.05). Combining all interventions, correlation coefficients were 0.96 and 0.94 for right ventricular systolic pressure, 0.96 and 0.83 for right ventricular diastolic pressure, and 0.87 and 0.87 for estimated pulmonary artery diastolic pressure at implantation and 1 year, respectively. The IHM and a standard reference pressure system recorded comparable right heart pressure values in patients with CHF. This implantable pressure transducer is accurate over time and provides a means to precisely monitor the hemodynamic condition of patients with CHF in a continuous fashion.

  19. Evolution of ventricular outpouching through the fetal and postnatal periods: Unabating dilemma of serial observation or surgical correction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Niraj Kumar Dipak

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Ventricular outpouching is a rare finding in prenatal sonography and the main differential diagnoses are diverticulum, aneurysm, and pseudoaneurysm in addition to congenital cysts and clefts. The various modes of fetal presentation of congenital ventricular outpouching include an abnormal four-chamber view on fetal two-dimensional echocardiogram, fetal arrhythmia, fetal hydrops, and pericardial effusion. Left ventricular aneurysm (LVA/nonapical diverticula are usually isolated defects. Apical diverticula are always associated with midline thoracoabdominal defects (epigastric pulsating diverticulum or large omphalocele and other structural malformations of the heart. Most patients with LVA/congenital ventricular diverticulum remain clinically asymptomatic but they can potentially give rise to complications such as ventricular tachyarrhythmias, systemic embolism, sudden death, spontaneous rupture, and severe valvular regurgitation. The treatment of asymptomatic LVA and isolated congenital ventricular diverticulum is still undefined. In this review, our aim is to outline a systematic approach to a fetus detected with ventricular outpouching. Starting with prevalence and its types, issues in fetal management, natural course and evolution postbirth, and finally the perpetual dilemma of serial observation or surgical correction is discussed.

  20. Pulmonary Hypoplasia Caused by Fetal Ascites in Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection Despite Fetal Therapy

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    Kazumichi Fujioka

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available We report two cases of pulmonary hypoplasia due to fetal ascites in symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV infections despite fetal therapy. The patients died soon after birth. The pathogenesis of pulmonary hypoplasia in our cases might be thoracic compression due to massive fetal ascites as a result of liver insufficiency. Despite aggressive fetal treatment, including multiple immunoglobulin administration, which was supposed to diminish the pathogenic effects of CMV either by neutralization or immunomodulatory effects, the fetal ascites was uncontrollable. To prevent development of pulmonary hypoplasia in symptomatic congenital CMV infections, further fetal intervention to reduce ascites should be considered.

  1. Fetal scalp pH testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fetal scalp blood; Scalp pH testing; Fetal blood testing - scalp; Fetal distress - fetal scalp testing; Labor - fetal scalp testing ... a baby. In these cases, testing the scalp pH can help the doctor decide whether the fetus ...

  2. [Incidence of fetal macrosomia: maternal and fetal morbidity].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez-Rojas, R R; Cantú-Esquivel, M G; Benavides-de la Garza, L; Benavides-de Anda, L

    1996-06-01

    The macrosomia is an obstetric eventuality associated to high maternal-fetal morbidity-mortality. This assay was planned in order to know the incidence of macrosomia in our institution, the relation between vaginal and abdominal deliveries and the fetal-maternal morbidity we reviewed 3590 records and we found 5.6% incidence of macrosomia in the global obstetric population. There was 58% of vaginal deliveries, 68% of the newborn were male. The main complications were in the C. sections, 2 laceration of the hysterectomy, and 2 peroperative atonias. In the vaginal deliveries, the lacerations of III and IV grade were 9 of each grade. The main fetal complications were 5 slight to severe asphyxia and 4 shoulder dystocias. This assay concludes that the macrosomia in our service is similar to the already published ones, a 42% were C. section and the maternal-fetal morbidity was low.

  3. Fetal magnetic resonance imaging: methods and techniques; Fetale Magnetresonanztomographie: Methoden und Technik

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brugger, P.C. [Zentrum fuer Anatomie und Zellbiologie, Medizinische Universitaet Wien (Austria). Arbeitsgruppe Integrative Morphologie; Stuhr, F.; Lindner, C.; Prayer, D. [Medizinische Universitaet Wien (Austria). Klinik fuer Radiodiagnostik

    2006-02-15

    Since the introduction of fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) into prenatal diagnostics, advances in coil technology and development of ultrafast sequences have further enhanced this technique. At present numerous sequences are available to visualize the whole fetus with high resolution and image quality, even in late stages of pregnancy. Taking into consideration the special circumstances of examination and adjusting sequence parameters to gestational age, fetal anatomy can be accurately depicted. The variety of sequences also allows further characterization of fetal tissues and pathologies. Fetal MRI not only supplies additional information to routine ultrasound studies, but also reveals fetal morphology and pathology in a way hitherto not possible. (orig.) [German] Seit Einfuehrung der fetalen Magnetresonanztomographie (MRT) in die praenatale Diagnostik wurde das Verfahren durch neue Spulentechniken und die Entwicklung ultraschneller Sequenzen kontinuierlich weiter entwickelt. Gegenwaertig steht eine Vielzahl von Sequenzen zur Verfuegung, die es erlauben, mit hoher Bildqualitaet und raeumlicher Aufloesung selbst in fortgeschrittenen Schwangerschaftsstadien den gesamten Feten darzustellen. Unter Beruecksichtigung der speziellen Untersuchungsbedingungen und des Schwangerschaftsalters kann so die fetale Anatomie genau abgebildet werden. Die Vielfalt an Sequenzen und deren gezielter Einsatz ermoeglichen es weiter, fetale Gewebe und Pathologien naeher zu charakterisierten. Auf diese Weise liefert die fetale MRT nicht nur Zusatzinformationen zur Routineultraschalluntersuchung, sie gibt auch Aufschluss ueber bestimmte fetale Morphologien und Pathologien, die bisher nicht darstellbar waren. (orig.)

  4. Human Fitting Studies of Cleveland Clinic Continuous-Flow Total Artificial Heart

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karimov, Jamshid H.; Steffen, Robert J.; Byram, Nicole; Sunagawa, Gengo; Horvath, David; Cruz, Vincent; Golding, Leonard A.R.; Fukamachi, Kiyotaka; Moazami, Nader

    2015-01-01

    Implantation of mechanical circulatory support devices is challenging, especially in patients with a small chest cavity. We evaluated how well the Cleveland Clinic continuous-flow total artificial heart (CFTAH) fit the anatomy of patients about to receive a heart transplant. A mock pump model of the CFTAH was rapid-prototyped using biocompatible materials. The model was brought to the operative table, and the direction, length, and angulation of the inflow/outflow ports and outflow conduits were evaluated after the recipient's ventricles had been resected. Thoracic cavity measurements were based on preoperative computed tomographic data. The CFTAH fit well in all five patients (height, 170 ± 9 cm; weight, 75 ± 24 kg). Body surface area was 1.9 ± 0.3 m2 (range, 1.6-2.1 m2). The required inflow and outflow port orientation of both the left and right housings appeared consistent with the current version of the CFTAH implanted in calves. The left outflow conduit remained straight, but the right outflow direction necessitated a 73 ± 22 degree angulation to prevent potential kinking when crossing over the connected left outflow. These data support the fact that our design achieves the proper anatomical relationship of the CFTAH to a patient's native vessels. PMID:25806613

  5. Monitorização materno-fetal durante procedimento odontológico em portadora de cardiopatia valvar Monitoreo maternofetal durante procedimiento odontológico en portadora de cardiopatía valvular Maternal-fetal monitoring during dental procedure in patients with heart valve disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Itamara Lucia Itagiba Neves

    2009-11-01

    , electrocardiografía ambulatoria materna y cardiotocografía de 31 portadoras de cardiopatía reumática, entre la 28ª y la 37ª semana de gestación, divididas en dos grupos según la presencia o no del vasoconstrictor. RESULTADOS: Se observó reducción significativa de los valores de frecuencia cardíaca materna en los dos grupos, durante el procedimiento, al compararlo con los demás períodos (p 0,05. Lo mismo ocurrió (p > 0,05 con el número de contracciones uterinas, nivel de variabilidad de la línea de base y número de aceleraciones de la frecuencia cardíaca fetal. CONCLUSIÓN: El uso de 1,8 ml de lidocaína 2% asociado a la adrenalina se mostró seguro y eficaz en procedimiento odontológico restaurador durante la gestación de mujeres con cardiopatía valvular reumática.BACKGROUND: The effects of local dental anesthesia with lidocaine and epinephrine on cardiovascular parameters of pregnant women with heart valve diseases and their fetuses are not fully understood. OBJECTIVES: To assess and analyze cardiotocographic, blood pressure and electrocardiographic parameters of pregnant women with rheumatic heart valve disease undergoing local anesthesia with 1.8mL of lidocaine 2% with or without epinephrine 1:100,000 during restorative dental treatment. METHODS: Maternal ambulatory blood pressure and electrocardiographic monitoring as well as cardiotocography of 31 patients with rheumatic heart disease were performed between the 28th and 37th week of gestation. The patients were divided into two groups, those with or without vasoconstrictor. RESULTS: A significant reduction in maternal heart rate was shown in both groups during the procedure in comparison with the other periods (p0.05. The same occurred (p>0.05 with the number of uterine contractions, baseline level and variability, and number of accelerations of fetal heart rate. CONCLUSION: The use of 1.8mL of lidocaine 2% in combination with epinephrine was safe and efficient in restorative dental procedures during

  6. Continuous multi-parameter heart rate variability analysis heralds onset of sepsis in adults.

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    Saif Ahmad

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Early diagnosis of sepsis enables timely resuscitation and antibiotics and prevents subsequent morbidity and mortality. Clinical approaches relying on point-in-time analysis of vital signs or lab values are often insensitive, non-specific and late diagnostic markers of sepsis. Exploring otherwise hidden information within intervals-in-time, heart rate variability (HRV has been documented to be both altered in the presence of sepsis, and correlated with its severity. We hypothesized that by continuously tracking individual patient HRV over time in patients as they develop sepsis, we would demonstrate reduced HRV in association with the onset of sepsis. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We monitored heart rate continuously in adult bone marrow transplant (BMT patients (n = 21 beginning a day before their BMT and continuing until recovery or withdrawal (12+/-4 days. We characterized HRV continuously over time with a panel of time, frequency, complexity, and scale-invariant domain techniques. We defined baseline HRV as mean variability for the first 24 h of monitoring and studied individual and population average percentage change (from baseline over time in diverse HRV metrics, in comparison with the time of clinical diagnosis and treatment of sepsis (defined as systemic inflammatory response syndrome along with clinically suspected infection requiring treatment. Of the 21 patients enrolled, 4 patients withdrew, leaving 17 patients who completed the study. Fourteen patients developed sepsis requiring antibiotic therapy, whereas 3 did not. On average, for 12 out of 14 infected patients, a significant (25% reduction prior to the clinical diagnosis and treatment of sepsis was observed in standard deviation, root mean square successive difference, sample and multiscale entropy, fast Fourier transform, detrended fluctuation analysis, and wavelet variability metrics. For infected patients (n = 14, wavelet HRV demonstrated a 25% drop from

  7. Post-explant visualization of thrombi in outflow grafts and their junction to a continuous-flow total artificial heart using a high-definition miniaturized camera.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karimov, Jamshid H; Horvath, David; Sunagawa, Gengo; Byram, Nicole; Moazami, Nader; Golding, Leonard A R; Fukamachi, Kiyotaka

    2015-12-01

    Post-explant evaluation of the continuous-flow total artificial heart in preclinical studies can be extremely challenging because of the device's unique architecture. Determining the exact location of tissue regeneration, neointima formation, and thrombus is particularly important. In this report, we describe our first successful experience with visualizing the Cleveland Clinic continuous-flow total artificial heart using a custom-made high-definition miniature camera.

  8. First and second trimester screening for fetal structural anomalies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, Lindsay; Hui, Lisa

    2018-04-01

    Fetal structural anomalies are found in up to 3% of all pregnancies and ultrasound-based screening has been an integral part of routine prenatal care for decades. The prenatal detection of fetal anomalies allows for optimal perinatal management, providing expectant parents with opportunities for additional imaging, genetic testing, and the provision of information regarding prognosis and management options. Approximately one-half of all major structural anomalies can now be detected in the first trimester, including acrania/anencephaly, abdominal wall defects, holoprosencephaly and cystic hygromata. Due to the ongoing development of some organ systems however, some anomalies will not be evident until later in the pregnancy. To this extent, the second trimester anatomy is recommended by professional societies as the standard investigation for the detection of fetal structural anomalies. The reported detection rates of structural anomalies vary according to the organ system being examined, and are also dependent upon factors such as the equipment settings and sonographer experience. Technological advances over the past two decades continue to support the role of ultrasound as the primary imaging modality in pregnancy, and the safety of ultrasound for the developing fetus is well established. With increasing capabilities and experience, detailed examination of the central nervous system and cardiovascular system is possible, with dedicated examinations such as the fetal neurosonogram and the fetal echocardiogram now widely performed in tertiary centers. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is well recognized for its role in the assessment of fetal brain anomalies; other potential indications for fetal MRI include lung volume measurement (in cases of congenital diaphragmatic hernia), and pre-surgical planning prior to fetal spina bifida repair. When a major structural abnormality is detected prenatally, genetic testing with chromosomal microarray is recommended over

  9. [Maternal-placental interactions and fetal programming].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kadyrov, M; Moser, G; Rath, W; Kweider, N; Wruck, C J; Pufe, T; Huppertz, B

    2013-06-01

    Pregnancy-related complications not only represent a risk for maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality, but are also a risk for several diseases later in life. Many epidemiological studies have shown clear associations between an adverse intrauterine environment and an increased risk of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, depression, obesity, and other chronic diseases in the adult. Some of these syndromes could be prevented by avoiding adverse stimuli or insults including psychological stress during pregnancy, intake of drugs, insufficient diet and substandard working conditions. Hence, all of these stimuli have the potential to alter health later in life. The placenta plays a key role in regulating the nutrient supply to the fetus and producing hormones that control the fetal as well as the maternal metabolism. Thus, any factor or stimulus that alters the function of the hormone producing placental trophoblast will provoke critical alterations of placental function and hence could induce programming of the fetus. The factors that change placental development may interfere with nutrient and oxygen supply to the fetus. This may be achieved by a direct disturbance of the placental barrier or more indirectly by, e. g., disturbing trophoblast invasion. For both path-ways, the respective pathologies are known: while preeclampsia is caused by alterations of the villous trophoblast, intra-uterine growth restriction is caused by insufficient invasion of the extravillous trophoblast. In both cases the effect can be undernutrition and/or fetal hypoxia, both of which adversely affect organ development, especially of brain and heart. However, the mechanisms responsible for disturbances of trophoblast differentiation and function remain elusive. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  10. Noninvasive fetal QRS detection using an echo state network and dynamic programming

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lukoševičius, Mantas; Marozas, Vaidotas

    2014-01-01

    We address a classical fetal QRS detection problem from abdominal ECG recordings with a data-driven statistical machine learning approach. Our goal is to have a powerful, yet conceptually clean, solution. There are two novel key components at the heart of our approach: an echo state recurrent neural network that is trained to indicate fetal QRS complexes, and several increasingly sophisticated versions of statistics-based dynamic programming algorithms, which are derived from and rooted in probability theory. We also employ a standard technique for preprocessing and removing maternal ECG complexes from the signals, but do not take this as the main focus of this work. The proposed approach is quite generic and can be extended to other types of signals and annotations. Open-source code is provided. (paper)

  11. Fetal tachyarrhythmia: literature data and case study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lukianova I.S.

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Fetal tachyarrhythmia is unfeigned in most cases and occurs in about 1–3% of the total number of pregnancies. Most of it's kinds are ectopic intraatrial reductions. FA is usually diagnosed during the routine, starting from 18 weeks of gestation, ultrasound assessment of the fetal heart rate. Approximately 10% of fetuses with rhythm disorders are at high risk of sudden death. Supraventricular tachycardia and atrial fibrillation are the most common causes of sudden death, the same is observed for bradyarrhythmias: manifest sinus bradycardia (hypoxic genesis and expressed AV-blockade. The examination of all fetuses with arrhythmia was strongly recommended in cases of intrauterine cardiac arrest or death of the fetus in families. Arrhythmias which have been revealed during scheduled prenatal examination of the fetuses are in need of expert echocardiography assessment to determine the extent of possible pre- and postnatal risk of sudden death and the paril of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy formation. In case of identified life-threatening arrhythmia in fetus the pharmacological therapy, which greatly affects the favorable outcome is strongly recommended. It should be based on hemodynamic of pregnant and aimed to prevent the development of decompensation or arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

  12. Computational modeling and engineering in pediatric and congenital heart disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marsden, Alison L; Feinstein, Jeffrey A

    2015-10-01

    Recent methodological advances in computational simulations are enabling increasingly realistic simulations of hemodynamics and physiology, driving increased clinical utility. We review recent developments in the use of computational simulations in pediatric and congenital heart disease, describe the clinical impact in modeling in single-ventricle patients, and provide an overview of emerging areas. Multiscale modeling combining patient-specific hemodynamics with reduced order (i.e., mathematically and computationally simplified) circulatory models has become the de-facto standard for modeling local hemodynamics and 'global' circulatory physiology. We review recent advances that have enabled faster solutions, discuss new methods (e.g., fluid structure interaction and uncertainty quantification), which lend realism both computationally and clinically to results, highlight novel computationally derived surgical methods for single-ventricle patients, and discuss areas in which modeling has begun to exert its influence including Kawasaki disease, fetal circulation, tetralogy of Fallot (and pulmonary tree), and circulatory support. Computational modeling is emerging as a crucial tool for clinical decision-making and evaluation of novel surgical methods and interventions in pediatric cardiology and beyond. Continued development of modeling methods, with an eye towards clinical needs, will enable clinical adoption in a wide range of pediatric and congenital heart diseases.

  13. Fetal Cell Based Prenatal Diagnosis: Perspectives on the Present and Future

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Morris Fiddler

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The ability to capture and analyze fetal cells from maternal circulation or other sources during pregnancy has been a goal of prenatal diagnostics for over thirty years. The vision of replacing invasive prenatal diagnostic procedures with the prospect of having the entire fetal genome in hand non-invasively for chromosomal and molecular studies for both clinical and research use has brought many investigators and innovations into the effort. While the object of this desire, however, has remained elusive, the aspiration for this approach to non-invasive prenatal diagnosis remains and the inquiry has continued. With the advent of screening by cell-free DNA analysis, the standards for fetal cell based prenatal diagnostics have been sharpened. Relevant aspects of the history and the current status of investigations to meet the goal of having an accessible and reliable strategy for capturing and analyzing fetal cells during pregnancy are reviewed.

  14. Fetal well-being: nonimaging assessment and the biophysical profile.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jackson, G M; Forouzan, I; Cohen, A W

    1991-01-01

    All of the testing methods described above are very good at predicting continued fetal health when test results are reassuring. Each test also suffers from a very poor ability to predict compromise when results are abnormal. Thus, the primary value of antepartum fetal monitoring is in identifying those pregnancies that do not require immediate intervention and may be allowed to continue. Certainly, all pregnant women (regardless of risk status) should monitor fetal movement as part of their fetal surveillance. For patients at risk, a variety of testing schemes are available using combinations of the NST, CST and BPP. There are several reasons for using the NST as the primary testing method for those at risk. Even a small antenatal testing area can accommodate three or four FHR monitors, and a single antenatal testing nurse can perform several NSTs at a time. Because the BPP requires an ultrasound machine and a trained technician to perform, and because only one BPP can be done at a time, many obstetricians who do their own in-office fetal testing are unable to adopt BPP testing as their primary means of surveillance. Additionally, it is more economical to use the NST than the BPP for first-line testing. Assuming charges of $150 and $300 for the NST and BPP, respectively, and assuming that 20% of NSTs are nonreactive and require a BPP for second-line testing, the weekly cost of testing 100 patients is $21,000 for the NST and $37,500 for the BPP. This increase-in-testing cost must be balanced against the small improvement in perinatal mortality rates achieved with the use of the BPP. Because it must be performed in a hospital setting and takes an average of 90 minutes to complete, the CST is more expensive and time-consuming than either the NST or BPP and it is less frequently used as the primary method of fetal testing. In the past the CST was the most commonly used secondary test after a nonreactive NST, but use of the BPP in this situation has now become

  15. Population differences in dysmorphic features among children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    May, Philip A; Gossage, J Phillip; Smith, Matthew; Tabachnick, Barbara G; Robinson, Luther K; Manning, Melanie; Cecanti, Mauro; Jones, Kenneth Lyons; Khaole, Nathaniel; Buckley, David; Kalberg, Wendy O; Trujillo, Phyllis M; Hoyme, H Eugene

    2010-05-01

    To examine the variation in significant dysmorphic features in children from 3 different populations with the most dysmorphic forms of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), and partial fetal alcohol syndrome (PFAS). Advanced multiple regression techniques are used to determine the discriminating physical features in the diagnosis of FAS and PFAS among children from Northern Plains Indian communities, South Africa, and Italy. Within the range of physical features used to identify children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, specifically FAS and PFAS, there is some significant variation in salient diagnostic features from one population to the next. Intraclass correlations in diagnostic features between these 3 populations is 0.20, indicating that about 20% of the variability in dysmorphology core features is associated with location and, therefore, specific racial/ethnic population. The highly significant diagnostic indicators present in each population are identified for the full samples of FAS, PFAS, and normals and also among children with FAS only. A multilevel model for these populations combined indicates that these variables predict dysmorphology unambiguously: small palpebral fissures, narrow vermillion, smooth philtrum, flat nasal bridge, and fifth finger clinodactyly. Long philtrum varies substantially as a predictor in the 3 populations. Predictors not significantly related to fetal alcohol spectrum disorders dysmorphology across the 3 populations are centile of height (except in Italy) strabismus, interpupilary distance, intercanthal distance, and heart murmurs. The dysmorphology associated with FAS and PFAS vary across populations, yet a particular array of common features occurs in each population, which permits a consistent diagnosis across populations.

  16. Emotional and cognitive experiences during the time of diagnosis and decision-making following a prenatal diagnosis: a qualitative study of males presented with congenital heart defect in the fetus carried by their pregnant partner.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlsson, Tommy; Mattsson, Elisabet

    2018-01-12

    Expectant fathers consider the second-trimester obstetric ultrasound examination as an important step towards parenthood, but are ill prepared for a detection of a fetal anomaly. Inductive research is scarce concerning their experiences and needs for support. Consequently, the aim of this study was to explore the emotional and cognitive experiences, during the time of diagnosis and decision-making, among males presented with congenital heart defect in the fetus carried by their pregnant partner. Twelve expectant fathers were consecutively recruited through two tertiary referral centers for fetal cardiology in Sweden, after they had been presented with a prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart defect in the fetus carried by their pregnant partner. The respondents were interviewed via telephone, and the interviews were analyzed using inductive qualitative content analysis. The respondents experienced an intense emotional shock in connection with detection. However, they set their own needs aside to attend to the supportive needs of their pregnant partner, and stressed the importance of an informed joint decision regarding whether to continue or terminate the pregnancy. When terminating the pregnancy, they experienced a loss of a wanted child, an emotionally intense termination procedure, needs of support neglected by professionals, and worries about the risk of recurrence in future pregnancies. When continuing the pregnancy, they tried to keep a positive attitude about the coming birth, but were simultaneously worried about the postnatal situation. The findings illustrate the importance of inclusive care and adequate follow-up routines for both expectant parents following a prenatal diagnosis. This includes the initial emotional shock, the decisional process, and depending on decision reached, the termination or continuation of the pregnancy. Expectant fathers presented with a fetal anomaly need adequate follow-up routines to address worries about risk of recurrence

  17. Human fetal anatomy: MR imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weinreb, J C; Lowe, T; Cohen, J M; Kutler, M

    1985-12-01

    Twenty-four pregnant women carrying 26 fetuses (two sets of twins) were imaged with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging at 0.35 T following sonographic evaluation. Each study was retrospectively evaluated to determine which of 33 normal fetal structures were visible on the images and which imaging parameters were most useful for depicting fetal anatomy. Fetal motion degraded fetal images in all but two cases, both with oligohydramnios and in the third trimester of gestation. Nevertheless, many fetal structures were identifiable, particularly in the third trimester. Visualization of fetal anatomy improved with intravenous maternal sedation in five cases. Relatively T1-weighted images occasionally offered the advantage of less image degradation owing to fetal motion and improved contrast between different fetal structures. More T2 weighting was believed to be advantageous in one case for outlining the fetal head and in one case for delineation of the brain. In many cases, structures were similarly identifiable (though with different signal intensities) regardless of the parameters selected. The authors conclude that MR imaging of many fetal structures is currently unsatisfactory and is probably of limited value, particularly in the first and second trimesters. However, the relative frequency and detail with which the fetal head and liver can be depicted indicate that these may be areas for further investigation, and the potential utility of imaging fetal fat warrants further investigation.

  18. Angiogenic Markers Predict Pregnancy Complications and Prolongation in Preeclampsia: Continuous Versus Cutoff Values.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saleh, Langeza; Vergouwe, Yvonne; van den Meiracker, Anton H; Verdonk, Koen; Russcher, Henk; Bremer, Henk A; Versendaal, Hans J; Steegers, Eric A P; Danser, A H Jan; Visser, Willy

    2017-11-01

    To assess the incremental value of a single determination of the serum levels of sFlt-1 (soluble Fms-like tyrosine kinase 1) and PlGF (placental growth factor) or their ratio, without using cutoff values, for the prediction of maternal and fetal/neonatal complications and pregnancy prolongation, 620 women with suspected/confirmed preeclampsia, aged 18 to 48 years, were included in a prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study. Women had singleton pregnancies and a median pregnancy duration of 34 (range, 20-41) weeks. Complications occurred in 118 women and 248 fetuses. The median duration between admission and delivery was 12 days. To predict prolongation, PlGF showed the highest incremental value ( R 2 =0.72) on top of traditional predictors (gestational age at inclusion, diastolic blood pressure, proteinuria, creatinine, uric acid, alanine transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase, and platelets) compared with R 2 =0.53 for the traditional predictors only. sFlt-1 showed the highest value to discriminate women with and without maternal complications (C-index=0.83 versus 0.72 for the traditional predictors only), and the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio showed the highest value to discriminate fetal/neonatal complications (C-index=0.86 versus 0.78 for the traditional predictors only). Applying previously suggested cutoff values for the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio yielded lower incremental values than applying continuous values. In conclusion, sFlt-1 and PlGF are strong and independent predictors for days until delivery along with maternal and fetal/neonatal complications on top of the traditional criteria. Their use as continuous variables (instead of applying cutoff values for different gestational ages) should now be tested in a prospective manner, making use of an algorithm calculating the risk of an individual woman with suspected/confirmed preeclampsia to develop complications. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

  19. Risk Factors of Congenital Heart Diseases: A Case-Control Study inNorthwest Iran.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naghavi-Behzad, Mohammad; Alizadeh, Mahasti; Azami, Saber; Foroughifar, Shirin; Ghasempour-Dabbaghi, Khazar; Karzad, Nazila; Ahadi, Hamid-Reza; Naghavi-Behzad, Ali

    2013-01-01

    Congenital heart diseases are of immense importance and also a high prevalence. Contributing factors to developing these defects have not been abundantly studied. Therefore, the current study was conducted aiming at determining the effective factors on Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) in newborn infants of Northwest Iran. A case-control study was carried out in North-West of Iran from 2002 to 2012 and a total of 473 infants entered the study. Required data were obtained through check lists completed by the information of hospital records and interview with mothers of 267 newborn infants with CHD together with medical records of mothers as the case group, and 206 medical records of healthy infants at the same period all together with those of their mothers as the control group. The obtained data were statistically analyzed using descriptive statistical methods, T-test, Spearman's correlation coefficient, and Multi-variable Logistic Regression Model (OR with 95% CI), using SPSS.19. In the present study, P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Based on the results of univariable analyses, the number of previous cesarean sections, past medical history of diseases, gestational age (GA), fetal weight at birth, diastolic blood pressure, fetal heart rate, pulse rate, fetal hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, and fetal head circumference at birth have significant relationship with incidence of congenital abnormalities (Prelationship with CHD incidence. Based on the results of present study, in order to control and reduce the cases of CHD, it is crucial to make proper decisions and implement policies for reducing cesarean cases, lowering consanguineous marriages, providing proper pre-marriage counseling, prompt treatment of mothers' illnesses, improving pregnancy health care and mothers' health status for the purpose of better well-being of newborn infants.

  20. Risk Factors of Congenital Heart Diseases: A Case-Control Study in Northwest Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Naghavi-Behzad Mohammad

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Congenital heart diseases are of immense importance and also a high prevalence. Contributing factors to developing these defects have not been abundantly studied. Therefore, the current study was conducted aiming at determining the effective factors on Congenital Heart Disease (CHD in newborn infants of Northwest Iran. Methods: A case-control study was carried out in North-West of Iran from 2002 to 2012 and a total of 473 infants entered the study. Required data were obtained through check lists completed by the information of hospital records and interview with mothers of 267 newborn infants with CHD together with medical records of mothers as the case group, and 206 medical records of healthy infants at the same period all together with those of their mothers as the control group. The obtained data were statistically analyzed using descriptive statistical methods, T-test, Spearman’s correlation coefficient, and Multi-variable Logistic Regression Model (OR with 95% CI, using SPSS.19. In the present study, P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Based on the results of univariable analyses, the number of previous cesarean sections, past medical history of diseases, gestational age (GA, fetal weight at birth, diastolic blood pressure, fetal heart rate, pulse rate, fetal hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, and fetal head circumference at birth have significant relationship with incidence of congenital abnormalities (P<0.05. Family history, past cesarean sections history, past medical history and GA had significant relationship with CHD incidence. Conclusion: Based on the results of present study, in order to control and reduce the cases of CHD, it is crucial to make proper decisions and implement policies for reducing cesarean cases, lowering consanguineous marriages, providing proper pre-marriage counseling, prompt treatment of mothers’ illnesses, improving pregnancy health care and mothers

  1. Fetal source extraction from magnetocardiographic recordings by dependent component analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Araujo, Draulio B de [Department of Physics and Mathematics, FFCLRP, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP (Brazil); Barros, Allan Kardec [Department of Electrical Engineering, Federal University of Maranhao, Sao Luis, Maranhao (Brazil); Estombelo-Montesco, Carlos [Department of Physics and Mathematics, FFCLRP, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP (Brazil); Zhao, Hui [Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Filho, A C Roque da Silva [Department of Physics and Mathematics, FFCLRP, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP (Brazil); Baffa, Oswaldo [Department of Physics and Mathematics, FFCLRP, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP (Brazil); Wakai, Ronald [Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Ohnishi, Noboru [Department of Information Engineering, Nagoya University (Japan)

    2005-10-07

    Fetal magnetocardiography (fMCG) has been extensively reported in the literature as a non-invasive, prenatal technique that can be used to monitor various functions of the fetal heart. However, fMCG signals often have low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and are contaminated by strong interference from the mother's magnetocardiogram signal. A promising, efficient tool for extracting signals, even under low SNR conditions, is blind source separation (BSS), or independent component analysis (ICA). Herein we propose an algorithm based on a variation of ICA, where the signal of interest is extracted using a time delay obtained from an autocorrelation analysis. We model the system using autoregression, and identify the signal component of interest from the poles of the autocorrelation function. We show that the method is effective in removing the maternal signal, and is computationally efficient. We also compare our results to more established ICA methods, such as FastICA.

  2. Fetal abdominal magnetic resonance imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brugger, Peter C.; Prayer, Daniela

    2006-01-01

    This review deals with the in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appearance of the human fetal abdomen. Imaging findings are correlated with current knowledge of human fetal anatomy and physiology, which are crucial to understand and interpret fetal abdominal MRI scans. As fetal MRI covers a period of more than 20 weeks, which is characterized not only by organ growth, but also by changes and maturation of organ function, a different MR appearance of the fetal abdomen results. This not only applies to the fetal intestines, but also to the fetal liver, spleen, and adrenal glands. Choosing the appropriate sequences, various aspects of age-related and organ-specific function can be visualized with fetal MRI, as these are mirrored by changes in signal intensities. Knowledge of normal development is essential to delineate normal from pathological findings in the respective developmental stages

  3. Fetal abdominal magnetic resonance imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brugger, Peter C. [Center of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Integrative Morphology Group, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringerstrasse 13, 1090 Vienna (Austria)]. E-mail: peter.brugger@meduniwien.ac.at; Prayer, Daniela [Department of Radiology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringerguertel 18-20, 1090 Vienna (Austria)

    2006-02-15

    This review deals with the in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appearance of the human fetal abdomen. Imaging findings are correlated with current knowledge of human fetal anatomy and physiology, which are crucial to understand and interpret fetal abdominal MRI scans. As fetal MRI covers a period of more than 20 weeks, which is characterized not only by organ growth, but also by changes and maturation of organ function, a different MR appearance of the fetal abdomen results. This not only applies to the fetal intestines, but also to the fetal liver, spleen, and adrenal glands. Choosing the appropriate sequences, various aspects of age-related and organ-specific function can be visualized with fetal MRI, as these are mirrored by changes in signal intensities. Knowledge of normal development is essential to delineate normal from pathological findings in the respective developmental stages.

  4. Fetal tachycardia : diagnosis and treatment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oudijk, Martijn Alexander

    2003-01-01

    Part I: Fetal tachyarrhythmias Diagnosis Fetal tachycardia is a serious condition warranting specialized evaluation. In chapter 2, methods of diagnosis of fetal tachycardia are described, including doppler and M-mode echocardiography and fetal magnetocardiography. The study presented in chapter 3

  5. Fast, free-breathing, in vivo fetal imaging using time-resolved 3D MRI technique: preliminary results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jing; Glenn, Orit A; Xu, Duan

    2014-04-01

    Fetal MR imaging is very challenging due to the movement of fetus and the breathing motion of the mother. Current clinical protocols involve quick 2D scouting scans to determine scan plane and often several attempts to reorient the scan plane when the fetus moves. This makes acquisition of fetal MR images clinically challenging and results in long scan times in order to obtain images that are of diagnostic quality. Compared to 2D imaging, 3D imaging of the fetus has many advantages such as higher SNR and ability to reformat images in multiple planes. However, it is more sensitive to motion and challenging for fetal imaging due to irregular fetal motion in addition to maternal breathing and cardiac motion. This aim of this study is to develop a fast 3D fetal imaging technique to resolve the challenge of imaging the moving fetus. This 3D imaging sequence has multi-echo radial sampling in-plane and conventional Cartesian encoding through plane, which provides motion robustness and high data acquisition efficiency. The utilization of a golden-ratio based projection profile allows flexible time-resolved image reconstruction with arbitrary temporal resolution at arbitrary time points as well as high signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratio. The nice features of the developed image technique allow the 3D visualization of the movements occurring throughout the scan. In this study, we applied this technique to three human subjects for fetal MRI and achieved promising preliminary results of fetal brain, heart and lung imaging.

  6. Fetal Microsatellite in the Heme Oxygenase 1 Promoter Is Associated With Severe and Early-Onset Preeclampsia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaartokallio, Tea; Utge, Siddheshwar; Klemetti, Miira M; Paananen, Jussi; Pulkki, Kari; Romppanen, Jarkko; Tikkanen, Ilkka; Heinonen, Seppo; Kajantie, Eero; Kere, Juha; Kivinen, Katja; Pouta, Anneli; Lakkisto, Päivi; Laivuori, Hannele

    2018-01-01

    Preeclampsia is a vascular pregnancy disorder that often involves impaired placental development. HO-1 (heme oxygenase 1, encoded by HMOX1 ) is a stress response enzyme crucial for endothelial and placental function. Long version of the guanine-thymine (GT n ) microsatellite in the HMOX1 promoter decreases HO-1 expression, and the long maternal repeat is associated with late-onset preeclampsia. Our aim was to study whether the length of fetal repeat is associated with mother's preeclampsia, whether the length of fetal and maternal repeats affect HO-1 levels in placenta and maternal serum, and whether HO-1 levels are altered in preeclampsia. We genotyped the repeat in the cord blood of 609 preeclamptic and 745 nonpreeclamptic neonates. HO-1 levels were measured in 36 placental samples, and in the first (222 cases/243 controls) and third (176 cases/53 controls) pregnancy trimester serum samples using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The long fetal GT n repeat was associated with preeclampsia and its severe and early-onset subtypes. Interaction analysis suggested the maternal and fetal effects to be independent. Placental or serum HO-1 levels were not altered in preeclamptics, possibly reflecting heterogeneity of preeclampsia. Carriers of the long fetal and maternal repeats had lower placental and serum HO-1 levels, respectively, providing functional evidence for the association. We conclude that the long fetal GT n repeat may increase mother's risk for especially severe and early-onset preeclampsia. The fetal and maternal risk alleles likely predispose to different disease subtypes. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

  7. Predictive value of late decelerations for fetal acidemia in unselective low-risk pregnancies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sameshima, Hiroshi; Ikenoue, Tsuyomu

    2005-01-01

    We evaluated the clinical significance of late decelerations (LD) of intrapartum fetal heart rate (FHR) monitoring to detect low pH (LD (occasional, 50%; recurrent, > or = 50%) and severity (reduced baseline FHR accelerations and variability) of LD, and low pH (test, and one-way analysis of variance with the Bonferroni/Dunn test. In the 5522 low-risk pregnancies, 301 showed occasional LD and 99 showed recurrent LD. Blood gases and pH values deteriorated as the incidence of LD increased and as baseline accelerations or variability was decreased. Positive predictive value for low pH (LD, and > 50% in recurrent LD with no baseline FHR accelerations and reduced variability. In low-risk pregnancies, information on LD combined with acceleration and baseline variability enables us to predict the potential incidence of fetal acidemia.

  8. Intrauterine intravascular transfusion for fetal haemolytic anaemia: the Western Australian experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newnham, J P; Phillips, J M; Stock, R

    1992-11-16

    To report the first four years' clinical experience with fetal intravascular blood transfusion for the treatment of fetal haemolytic anaemia in Western Australia. King Edward Memorial Hospital, Perth, which is the sole tertiary level perinatal centre in Western Australia with a referral base of approximately 25,000 pregnancies each year. Transfusion was by injection of packed cells from Rh-negative donors into the fetal umbilical vein near the site of insertion into the placenta. Fetal haemoglobin levels were measured before and after each transfusion. In most cases, the fetus was paralysed by intramuscular tubocurarine. Sixty intravenous transfusions were performed in 20 pregnancies. At the time of the initial transfusion, the mean haemoglobin level was 5.8 g/dL (range, 2.5-8.5 g/dL) and six fetuses had signs of hydrops. The case survival rate was 80% and the procedure survival rate was 93%. Three of the deaths occurred in the first five cases. Caesarean section was performed during two of the procedures, one because of bleeding from the cord puncture site and one because of tamponade of the umbilical vessels. Fetal intravascular transfusion is a highly effective treatment for fetal alloimmunisation and allows pregnancies to continue to term and to be delivered vaginally. However, the procedure may be difficult and requires a team approach with ready access to fetal monitoring and emergency caesarean section. Our results suggest that increasing experience of the team is a major factor in improved outcome.

  9. The relationship between maternal and fetal vitamin D, insulin resistance, and fetal growth.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Walsh, Jennifer M

    2013-05-01

    Evidence for a role of vitamin D in maintaining normal glucose homeostasis is inconclusive. We sought to clarify the relationship between maternal and fetal insulin resistance and vitamin D status. This is a prospective cohort study of 60 caucasian pregnant women. Concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD), glucose, insulin, and leptin were measured in early pregnancy and at 28 weeks. Ultrasound at 34 weeks assessed fetal anthropometry including abdominal wall width, a marker of fetal adiposity. At delivery birth weight was recorded and fetal 25-OHD, glucose, C-peptide, and leptin measured in cord blood. Insulin resistance was calculated using the Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA) equation. We found that those with lower 25-OHD in early pregnancy had higher HOMA indices at 28 weeks, (r = -.32, P = .02). No significant relationship existed between maternal or fetal leptin and 25-OHD, or between maternal or fetal 25-OHD and fetal anthropometry or birth weight. The incidence of vitamin D deficiency was high at each time point (15%-45%). These findings lend support to routine antenatal supplementation with vitamin D in at risk populations.

  10. Characterization of the fetal blood transcriptome and proteome in maternal anti-fetal rejection: evidence of a distinct and novel type of human fetal systemic inflammatory response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Joonho; Romero, Roberto; Chaiworapongsa, Tinnakorn; Dong, Zhong; Tarca, Adi L; Xu, Yi; Chiang, Po Jen; Kusanovic, Juan Pedro; Hassan, Sonia S; Yeo, Lami; Yoon, Bo Hyun; Than, Nandor Gabor; Kim, Chong Jai

    2013-10-01

    The human fetus is able to mount a systemic inflammatory response when exposed to microorganisms. This stereotypic response has been termed the 'fetal inflammatory response syndrome' (FIRS), defined as an elevation of fetal plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6). FIRS is frequently observed in patients whose preterm deliveries are associated with intra-amniotic infection, acute inflammatory lesions of the placenta, and a high rate of neonatal morbidity. Recently, a novel form of fetal systemic inflammation, characterized by an elevation of fetal plasma CXCL10, has been identified in patients with placental lesions consistent with 'maternal anti-fetal rejection'. These lesions include chronic chorioamnionitis, plasma cell deciduitis, and villitis of unknown etiology. In addition, positivity for human leukocyte antigen (HLA) panel-reactive antibodies (PRA) in maternal sera can also be used to increase the index of suspicion for maternal anti-fetal rejection. The purpose of this study was to determine (i) the frequency of pathologic lesions consistent with maternal anti-fetal rejection in term and spontaneous preterm births; (ii) the fetal serum concentration of CXCL10 in patients with and without evidence of maternal anti-fetal rejection; and (iii) the fetal blood transcriptome and proteome in cases with a fetal inflammatory response associated with maternal anti-fetal rejection. Maternal and fetal sera were obtained from normal term (n = 150) and spontaneous preterm births (n = 150). A fetal inflammatory response associated with maternal anti-fetal rejection was diagnosed when the patients met two or more of the following criteria: (i) presence of chronic placental inflammation; (ii) ≥80% of maternal HLA class I PRA positivity; and (iii) fetal serum CXCL10 concentration >75th percentile. Maternal HLA PRA was analyzed by flow cytometry. The concentrations of fetal CXCL10 and IL-6 were determined by ELISA. Transcriptome analysis was undertaken after the extraction of total RNA

  11. Value of amniocentesis versus fetal tissue for cytogenetic analysis in cases of fetal demise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bryant Borders, Ann E; Greenberg, Jessica; Plaga, Stacey; Shepard-Hinton, Megan; Yates, Carin; Elias, Sherman; Shulman, Lee P

    2009-01-01

    Use of fetal tissue for cytogenetic analysis in cases of second- and third-trimester fetal demise frequently results in unacceptably high failure rates. We reviewed our ongoing use of amniocentesis prior to uterine evacuation to determine if this provided a better source of cells for cytogenetic analysis. We compared cytogenetic results using fetal tissues obtained following uterine evacuation to our ongoing use of amniotic fluid cell obtained by transabdominal amniocentesis prior to uterine evacuation from 2003 to 2008. In 49 of the 63 cases evaluated by fetal tissue biopsies performed after uterine evacuation, a karyotypic analysis was obtained (77.8%). Among the 38 cases evaluated by amniocentesis, an amniotic fluid sample and fetal cytogenetic results were obtained in all 38 (100%) cases. Our findings indicate that amniocentesis is a more reliable source of cytogenetic information than fetal tissue in cases of second- and third-trimester fetal demise.

  12. Inactivation of maternal Hif-1α at mid-pregnancy causes placental defects and deficits in oxygen delivery to the fetal organs under hypoxic stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kenchegowda, Doreswamy; Natale, Bryony; Lemus, Maria A; Natale, David R; Fisher, Steven A

    2017-02-15

    A critical transition occurs near mid-gestation of mammalian pregnancy. Prior to this transition, low concentrations of oxygen (hypoxia) signaling through Hypoxia Inducible Factor (HIF) functions as a morphogen for the placenta and fetal organs. Subsequently, functional coupling of the placenta and fetal cardiovascular system for oxygen (O 2 ) transport is required to support the continued growth and development of the fetus. Here we tested the hypothesis that Hif-1α is required in maternal cells for placental morphogenesis and function. We used Tamoxifen-inducible Cre-Lox to inactivate Hif-1α in maternal tissues at E8.5 (MATcKO), and used ODD-Luciferase as a reporter of hypoxia in placenta and fetal tissues. MATcKO of Hif-1α reduced the number of uterine natural killer (uNK) cells and Tpbpa-positve trophoblast cells in the maternal decidua at E13.5 -15.5. There were dynamic changes in all three layers of E13.5-15.5 MATcKO placenta. Of note was the under-development of the labyrinth at E15.5 associated with reduced Ki67 and increased TUNEL staining consistent with reduced cell proliferation and increased apoptosis. Labyrinth defects were particularly evident in placentas connected to effectively HIF-1α heterozygous null embryos. MATcKO had no effect on basal ODD-Luciferase activity in fetal organs (heart, liver, brain) at any stage, but at E13.5-15.5 resulted in enhanced induction of the ODD-Luciferase hypoxia reporter when the dam's inspired O 2 was reduced to 8% for 4 hours. MATcKO also slowed the growth after E13.5 of fetuses that were effectively heterozygous for Hif-1α, with most being non-viable at E15.5. The hearts of these E15.5 fetuses were abnormal with reduction in size, thickened epicardium and mesenchymal septum. We conclude that maternal HIF-1α is required for placentation including recruitment of uNK and trophoblast cells into the maternal decidua and other trophoblast cell behaviors. The placental defects render the fetus vulnerable to O 2

  13. Ramp Study Hemodynamics, Functional Capacity, and Outcome in Heart Failure Patients with Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Devices

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jung, Mette H; Gustafsson, Finn; Houston, Brian

    2016-01-01

    Ramp studies-measuring changes in cardiac parameters as a function of serial pump speed changes (revolutions per minute [rpm])-are increasingly used to evaluate function and malfunction of continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (CF-LVADs). We hypothesized that ramp studies can predict...... patients (HeartMate II, Thoratec Corporation, Pleasanton, CA). Functional status was evaluated in 70% (31/44); average 6 minute walk test (6MWT) was 312 ± 220 min, New York Heart Association (NYHA) I-II/III-IV (70/30%) and activity scores very low-low/moderate-very high (55/45%). Decrease in pulmonary...

  14. Screening for fetal growth restriction using fetal biometry combined with maternal biomarkers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaccioli, Francesca; Aye, Irving L M H; Sovio, Ulla; Charnock-Jones, D Stephen; Smith, Gordon C S

    2018-02-01

    Fetal growth restriction is a major determinant of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Screening for fetal growth restriction is a key element of prenatal care but it is recognized to be problematic. Screening using clinical risk assessment and targeting ultrasound to high-risk women is the standard of care in the United States and United Kingdom, but the approach is known to have low sensitivity. Systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials do not demonstrate any benefit from universal ultrasound screening for fetal growth restriction in the third trimester, but the evidence base is not strong. Implementation of universal ultrasound screening in low-risk women in France failed to reduce the risk of complications among small-for-gestational-age infants but did appear to cause iatrogenic harm to false positives. One strategy to making progress is to improve screening by developing more sensitive and specific tests with the key goal of differentiating between healthy small fetuses and those that are small through fetal growth restriction. As abnormal placentation is thought to be the major cause of fetal growth restriction, one approach is to combine fetal biometry with an indicator of placental dysfunction. In the past, these indicators were generally ultrasonic measurements, such as Doppler flow velocimetry of the uteroplacental circulation. However, another promising approach is to combine ultrasonic suspicion of small-for-gestational-age infant with a blood test indicating placental dysfunction. Thus far, much of the research on maternal serum biomarkers for fetal growth restriction has involved the secondary analysis of tests performed for other indications, such as fetal aneuploidies. An exemplar of this is pregnancy-associated plasma protein A. This blood test is performed primarily to assess the risk of Down syndrome, but women with low first-trimester levels are now serially scanned in later pregnancy due to associations with placental causes of

  15. Clinical significance of perceptible fetal motion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rayburn, W F

    1980-09-15

    The monitoring of fetal activity during the last trimester of pregnancy has been proposed to be useful in assessing fetal welfare. The maternal perception of fetal activity was tested among 82 patients using real-time ultrasonography. All perceived fetal movements were visualized on the scanner and involved motion of the lower limbs. Conversely, 82% of all visualized motions of fetal limbs were perceived by the patients. All combined motions of fetal trunk with limbs were preceived by the patients and described as strong movements, whereas clusters of isolated, weak motions of the fetal limbs were less accurately perceived (56% accuracy). The number of fetal movements perceived during the 15-minute test period was significantly (p fetal motion was present (44 of 45 cases) than when it was absent (five of 10 cases). These findings reveal that perceived fetal motion is: (1) reliable; (2) related to the strength of lower limb motion; (3) increased with ruptured amniotic membranes; and (4) reassuring if considered to be active.

  16. Relationship between fetal heart rate patterns and a time course for evaluation of fetal well-being: “the 30 minutes rule” for decision of mechanical delivery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shintaro Makino

    2017-12-01

    Conclusions: We confirmed the time indices for predicting and preventing acidosis in fetuses showing decelerations. To prevent fetal acidosis, the decision related to proper timing for performing assisted delivery by considering the time course is important.

  17. Differential diagnosis between fetal extrarenal pelvis and obstructive uropathy on fetal ultrasonogram

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Han, Byoung Hee; Cho, Jeong Yeon; Cho, Byung Jae; Lee, Kyung Sang [Samsung Cheil Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2003-03-15

    To establish the standard guideline for differentiating the extrarenal pelvis from obstructive uropathy on fetal ultrasonogram (US) to avoid unnecessary postnatal follow-up and other additional examinations. From July 2000 to July 2001, Thirty-four kidneys with hydronephrosis diagnosed on fetal ultrasonogram performed during the third trimester of pregnancy were included in this study. Hydronephrosis was defined as the pelvic anteroposterior (AP) diameter being 4 mm or greater before 33 weeks of gestation while 7 mm or greater at or after 33 weeks of gestation. The size of the renal pelvis was measured at intrarenal, intra-extrarenal junctional and extrarenal portions in every kidney on the transverse view of the fetal renal hiluin. Postnatally, all neonates underwent renal ultrasonogram 2 to 8 days after birth, and renal pelvic diameters were measured using the same method as the fetal US in 28 kidneys. We then compared the extrarenal-intrarenal ratio (E/I ratio) of pelvic diameter between fetal and neoatal kidneys. We presumed that the extrarenal pelvis in fetal US was the pelvis showing the normal intrarenal pelvic diameter accompanied by the most dilated exrtarenal pelvic diameter. Follow-up ultrasonograms were measured using the same method as the fetal US in 28 kidneys. We then compared the extrarenal intrarenal ratio (E/I ratio) of pelvic diameter between fetal and neonatal kidneys. We presumed that the extrarenal pelvis on fetal US was the pelvis showing the normal intrarenal pelvic diameter accompanied by the most dilated extrarenal pelvic diameter. Follow-up ultrasonograms were performed in 12 of 17 neonates who had the maximal diameter at extrarenal portion on fetal ultrasonogram. VCUG and IVU were taken in 2 patients with a persistent dilatation of the renal pelvis on follow-up ultrasonograms. On fetal US, 17/34 kidneys showed the extrarenal portion with the most dilatation while in 12/34 kidneys, the intra-extra renal junction portion was the most

  18. Differential diagnosis between fetal extrarenal pelvis and obstructive uropathy on fetal ultrasonogram

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, Byoung Hee; Cho, Jeong Yeon; Cho, Byung Jae; Lee, Kyung Sang

    2003-01-01

    To establish the standard guideline for differentiating the extrarenal pelvis from obstructive uropathy on fetal ultrasonogram (US) to avoid unnecessary postnatal follow-up and other additional examinations. From July 2000 to July 2001, Thirty-four kidneys with hydronephrosis diagnosed on fetal ultrasonogram performed during the third trimester of pregnancy were included in this study. Hydronephrosis was defined as the pelvic anteroposterior (AP) diameter being 4 mm or greater before 33 weeks of gestation while 7 mm or greater at or after 33 weeks of gestation. The size of the renal pelvis was measured at intrarenal, intra-extrarenal junctional and extrarenal portions in every kidney on the transverse view of the fetal renal hiluin. Postnatally, all neonates underwent renal ultrasonogram 2 to 8 days after birth, and renal pelvic diameters were measured using the same method as the fetal US in 28 kidneys. We then compared the extrarenal-intrarenal ratio (E/I ratio) of pelvic diameter between fetal and neoatal kidneys. We presumed that the extrarenal pelvis in fetal US was the pelvis showing the normal intrarenal pelvic diameter accompanied by the most dilated exrtarenal pelvic diameter. Follow-up ultrasonograms were measured using the same method as the fetal US in 28 kidneys. We then compared the extrarenal intrarenal ratio (E/I ratio) of pelvic diameter between fetal and neonatal kidneys. We presumed that the extrarenal pelvis on fetal US was the pelvis showing the normal intrarenal pelvic diameter accompanied by the most dilated extrarenal pelvic diameter. Follow-up ultrasonograms were performed in 12 of 17 neonates who had the maximal diameter at extrarenal portion on fetal ultrasonogram. VCUG and IVU were taken in 2 patients with a persistent dilatation of the renal pelvis on follow-up ultrasonograms. On fetal US, 17/34 kidneys showed the extrarenal portion with the most dilatation while in 12/34 kidneys, the intra-extra renal junction portion was the most

  19. MR imaging methods for assessing fetal brain development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rutherford, Mary; Jiang, Shuzhou; Allsop, Joanna; Perkins, Lucinda; Srinivasan, Latha; Hayat, Tayyib; Kumar, Sailesh; Hajnal, Jo

    2008-05-01

    Fetal magnetic resonance imaging provides an ideal tool for investigating growth and development of the brain in vivo. Current imaging methods have been hampered by fetal motion but recent advances in image acquisition can produce high signal to noise, high resolution 3-dimensional datasets suitable for objective quantification by state of the art post acquisition computer programs. Continuing development of imaging techniques will allow a unique insight into the developing brain, more specifically process of cell migration, axonal pathway formation, and cortical maturation. Accurate quantification of these developmental processes in the normal fetus will allow us to identify subtle deviations from normal during the second and third trimester of pregnancy either in the compromised fetus or in infants born prematurely.

  20. DNA methylation abnormalities in congenital heart disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serra-Juhé, Clara; Cuscó, Ivon; Homs, Aïda; Flores, Raquel; Torán, Núria; Pérez-Jurado, Luis A

    2015-01-01

    Congenital heart defects represent the most common malformation at birth, occurring also in ∼50% of individuals with Down syndrome. Congenital heart defects are thought to have multifactorial etiology, but the main causes are largely unknown. We have explored the global methylation profile of fetal heart DNA in comparison to blood DNA from control subjects: an absolute correlation with the type of tissue was detected. Pathway analysis revealed a significant enrichment of differential methylation at genes related to muscle contraction and cardiomyopathies in the developing heart DNA. We have also searched for abnormal methylation profiles on developing heart-tissue DNA of syndromic and non-syndromic congenital heart defects. On average, 3 regions with aberrant methylation were detected per sample and 18 regions were found differentially methylated between groups. Several epimutations were detected in candidate genes involved in growth regulation, apoptosis and folate pathway. A likely pathogenic hypermethylation of several intragenic sites at the MSX1 gene, involved in outflow tract morphogenesis, was found in a fetus with isolated heart malformation. In addition, hypermethylation of the GATA4 gene was present in fetuses with Down syndrome with or without congenital heart defects, as well as in fetuses with isolated heart malformations. Expression deregulation of the abnormally methylated genes was detected. Our data indicate that epigenetic alterations of relevant genes are present in developing heart DNA in fetuses with both isolated and syndromic heart malformations. These epimutations likely contribute to the pathogenesis of the malformation by cis-acting effects on gene expression.

  1. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome and the nutmeg lung pattern in utero: a cause and effect relationship or prognostic indicator?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saul, David; Johnson, Ann M.; Victoria, Teresa [The Children' s Hospital of Philadelphia, Radiology Department, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Degenhardt, Karl; Rychik, Jack [The Children' s Hospital of Philadelphia, Cardiac Center and Fetal Heart Program, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Iyoob, Suzanne D.; Johnson, Mark P. [The Children' s Hospital of Philadelphia, Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Surrey, Lea F. [The Children' s Hospital of Philadelphia, Pathology Department, Philadelphia, PA (United States)

    2016-04-15

    Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is the third most common cause of critical congenital heart disease in newborns, and one of the most challenging forms to treat. Secondary pulmonary lymphangiectasia has been recognized in association with HLHS, an appearance described on fetal MRI as the ''nutmeg lung.'' To investigate the association of fetal nutmeg lung with HLHS survival. A retrospective search of the fetal MRI database was performed. The nutmeg lung pattern was defined as T2 heterogeneous signal with tubular structures radiating peripherally from the hila. Postnatal echocardiograms and charts were reviewed. Forty-four fetal MR studies met inclusion criteria, of which 4 patients (9%) had the nutmeg lung pattern and 3 of whom also had restrictive lesions. Mortality in this nutmeg lung group was 100% by 5 months of age. Of the 40 patients without nutmeg lung, mortality/orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) was 35%. Of these 40 patients without nutmeg lung, 5 had restriction on echo, 3 of whom died/had OHT before 5 months of age (60% of patients with restriction and non-nutmeg lung). There was a significantly higher incidence of restrictive lesions (P = 0.02) and mortality/OHT (P = 0.02) in patients with nutmeg lung compared to those without. The nutmeg lung MR appearance in HLHS fetuses is associated with increased mortality/OHT (100% in the first 5 months of life compared to 35% with HLHS alone). Not all patients with restrictive lesions develop nutmeg lung, and outcome is not as poor when restriction is present in isolation. Dedicated evaluation for nutmeg lung pattern on fetal MR studies may be useful to guide prognostication and aid clinicians in counseling parents of fetuses with HLHS. (orig.)

  2. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome and the nutmeg lung pattern in utero: a cause and effect relationship or prognostic indicator?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saul, David; Johnson, Ann M.; Victoria, Teresa; Degenhardt, Karl; Rychik, Jack; Iyoob, Suzanne D.; Johnson, Mark P.; Surrey, Lea F.

    2016-01-01

    Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is the third most common cause of critical congenital heart disease in newborns, and one of the most challenging forms to treat. Secondary pulmonary lymphangiectasia has been recognized in association with HLHS, an appearance described on fetal MRI as the ''nutmeg lung.'' To investigate the association of fetal nutmeg lung with HLHS survival. A retrospective search of the fetal MRI database was performed. The nutmeg lung pattern was defined as T2 heterogeneous signal with tubular structures radiating peripherally from the hila. Postnatal echocardiograms and charts were reviewed. Forty-four fetal MR studies met inclusion criteria, of which 4 patients (9%) had the nutmeg lung pattern and 3 of whom also had restrictive lesions. Mortality in this nutmeg lung group was 100% by 5 months of age. Of the 40 patients without nutmeg lung, mortality/orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) was 35%. Of these 40 patients without nutmeg lung, 5 had restriction on echo, 3 of whom died/had OHT before 5 months of age (60% of patients with restriction and non-nutmeg lung). There was a significantly higher incidence of restrictive lesions (P = 0.02) and mortality/OHT (P = 0.02) in patients with nutmeg lung compared to those without. The nutmeg lung MR appearance in HLHS fetuses is associated with increased mortality/OHT (100% in the first 5 months of life compared to 35% with HLHS alone). Not all patients with restrictive lesions develop nutmeg lung, and outcome is not as poor when restriction is present in isolation. Dedicated evaluation for nutmeg lung pattern on fetal MR studies may be useful to guide prognostication and aid clinicians in counseling parents of fetuses with HLHS. (orig.)

  3. Thyroid hormone action in postnatal heart development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ming Li

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Thyroid hormone is a critical regulator of cardiac growth and development, both in fetal life and postnatally. Here we review the role of thyroid hormone in postnatal cardiac development, given recent insights into its role in stimulating a burst of cardiomyocyte proliferation in the murine heart in preadolescence; a response required to meet the massive increase in circulatory demand predicated by an almost quadrupling of body weight during a period of about 21 days from birth to adolescence. Importantly, thyroid hormone metabolism is altered by chronic diseases, such as heart failure and ischemic heart disease, as well as in very sick children requiring surgery for congenital heart diseases, which results in low T3 syndrome that impairs cardiovascular function and is associated with a poor prognosis. Therapy with T3 or thyroid hormone analogs has been shown to improve cardiac contractility; however, the mechanism is as yet unknown. Given the postnatal cardiomyocyte mitogenic potential of T3, its ability to enhance cardiac function by promoting cardiomyocyte proliferation warrants further consideration.

  4. Fetal Aortic Valvuloplasty for Evolving Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome: Postnatal Outcomes of the First 100 Patients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freud, Lindsay R.; McElhinney, Doff B.; Marshall, Audrey C.; Marx, Gerald R.; Friedman, Kevin G.; del Nido, Pedro J.; Emani, Sitaram M.; Lafranchi, Terra; Silva, Virginia; Wilkins-Haug, Louise E.; Benson, Carol B.; Lock, James E.; Tworetzky, Wayne

    2015-01-01

    Background Fetal aortic valvuloplasty (FAV) can be performed for severe mid-gestation aortic stenosis (AS) in an attempt to prevent progression to hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). A subset of patients has achieved a biventricular (BV) circulation after FAV. The postnatal outcomes and survival of the BV patients, compared to those managed as HLHS, have not been reported. Methods and Results We included 100 patients who underwent FAV for severe mid-gestation AS with evolving HLHS from March 2000 to January 2013. Patients were categorized based on postnatal management as BV or HLHS. Clinical records were reviewed. Eighty-eight fetuses were live-born, and 38 had a BV circulation (31 from birth, 7 converted after initial univentricular palliation). Left-sided structures, namely aortic and mitral valve sizes and LV volume, were significantly larger in the BV group at the time of birth (p-values <0.01). After a median follow-up of 5.4 years, freedom from cardiac death among all BV patients was 96±4% at 5 years and 84±12% at 10 years, which was better than HLHS patients (log-rank p=0.04). There was no cardiac mortality in patients with a BV circulation from birth. All but 1 of the BV patients required postnatal intervention; 42% underwent aortic and/or mitral valve replacement. On most recent echocardiogram, the median LV end-diastolic volume z-score was +1.7 (range: -1.3, +8.2), and 80% had normal ejection fraction. Conclusions Short- and intermediate-term survival among patients who underwent FAV and achieved a BV circulation postnatally is encouraging. However, morbidity still exists, and on-going assessment is warranted. PMID:25052401

  5. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effects in Child Development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pancratz, Diane R.

    This literature review defines Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) and considers their causes, diagnoses, prevalence, and educational ramifications. Effects of alcohol during each of the trimesters of pregnancy are summarized. Specific diagnostic characteristics of FAS are listed: (1) growth deficiency, (2) a…

  6. Fetal scalp blood sampling during labor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chandraharan, Edwin; Wiberg, Nana

    2014-01-01

    Fetal cardiotocography is characterized by low specificity; therefore, in an attempt to ensure fetal well-being, fetal scalp blood sampling has been recommended by most obstetric societies in the case of a non-reassuring cardiotocography. The scientific agreement on the evidence for using fetal...... scalp blood sampling to decrease the rate of operative delivery for fetal distress is ambiguous. Based on the same studies, a Cochrane review states that fetal scalp blood sampling increases the rate of instrumental delivery while decreasing neonatal acidosis, whereas the National Institute of Health...... and Clinical Excellence guideline considers that fetal scalp blood sampling decreases instrumental delivery without differences in other outcome variables. The fetal scalp is supplied by vessels outside the skull below the level of the cranial vault, which is likely to be compressed during contractions...

  7. An intelligent fetal monitoring system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inaba, J.; Akatsuka, T.; Kubo, T.; Iwasaki, H.

    1986-01-01

    An intelligent monitoring system is constructed by a multi-micro-computer system. The monitoring signals are fetal heart rate (FHR) and uterine contraction (UC) through the conventional monitoring device for a day until the delivery. These signals are fed to a micro-computer in digital format, and evaluated by the computer in real time according to the diagnostic algorithm of the expert physician. Monitoring signals are always displayed on the CRT screen and in the case of dangerous state of the fetus, warning signal will appear on the screen and the doctor or nurse will be called. All these signals are sent to the next micro-computer with 10MB hard disk system. On this computer, the doctor and nurse can retrieve and inspect the details of the process by clock-key and/or events-key. After finishing monitoring process, summarized report is constructed and printed out on the paper

  8. Intrapartum fetal monitoring by ST-analysis of the fetal ECG

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Westerhuis, M.E.M.H.

    2010-01-01

    Objective Intrapartum fetal monitoring aims to identify fetuses at risk for neonatal and long-term injury due to asphyxia. To serve this purpose, cardiotocography (CTG) combined with ST-analysis of the fetal electrocardiogram (ECG), which is a relatively new method, may be used. The main aim of this

  9. Predicting umbilical artery pH during labour: Development and validation of a nomogram using fetal heart rate patterns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramanah, Rajeev; Omar, Sikiyah; Guillien, Alicia; Pugin, Aurore; Martin, Alain; Riethmuller, Didier; Mottet, Nicolas

    2018-06-01

    Nomograms are statistical models that combine variables to obtain the most accurate and reliable prediction for a particular risk. Fetal heart rate (FHR) interpretation alone has been found to be poorly predictive for fetal acidosis while other clinical risk factors exist. The aim of this study was to create and validate a nomogram based on FHR patterns and relevant clinical parameters to provide a non-invasive individualized prediction of umbilical artery pH during labour. A retrospective observational study was conducted on 4071 patients in labour presenting singleton pregnancies at >34 gestational weeks and delivering vaginally. Clinical characteristics, FHR patterns and umbilical cord gas of 1913 patients were used to construct a nomogram predicting an umbilical artery (Ua) pH <7.18 (10th centile of the study population) after an univariate and multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis. External validation was obtained from an independent cohort of 2158 patients. Area under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of the nomogram were determined. Upon multivariate analysis, parity (p < 0.01), induction of labour (p = 0.01), a prior uterine scar (p = 0.02), maternal fever (p = 0.02) and the type of FHR (p < 0.01) were significantly associated with an Ua pH <7.18 (p < 0.05). Apgar score at 1, 5 and 10 min were significantly lower in the group with an Ua pH <7.18 (p < 0.01). The nomogram constructed had a Concordance Index of 0.75 (area under the curve) with a sensitivity of 57%, a specificity of 91%, a negative predictive value of 5% and a positive predictive value of 99%. Calibration found no difference between the predicted probabilities and the observed rate of Ua pH <7.18 (p = 0.63). The validation set had a Concordance Index of 0.72 and calibration with a p < 0.77. We successfully developed and validated a nomogram to predict Ua pH by

  10. Percepção materna de movimentos fetais como método de avaliação da vitalidade fetal em gestantes diabéticas Maternal perception of fetal movements as a method to evaluate fetal condition in diabetic women

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Belmiro Gonçalves Pereira

    1999-12-01

    Full Text Available Objetivo: avaliar a acurácia da percepção materna dos movimentos fetais (PMMF na predição de alguns resultados perinatais em gestantes diabéticas. Métodos: análise retrospectiva de 209 gestantes diabéticas atendidas no Centro de Atenção Integral à Saúde da Mulher (CAISM, entre junho de 1988 e maio de 1996, que tinham registro de PMMF dentro dos três dias anteriores ao parto, monitorização eletrônica da freqüência cardíaca fetal intraparto, idade gestacional > ou = 30 semanas, avaliação do recém-nascido (RN e diagnóstico neonatal. O teste de PMMF foi considerado normal quando a mulher detectou um mínimo de 7 movimentos em 60 minutos. Resultados: a sensibilidade do teste foi de 23 e 29% para Apgar Purpose: to evaluate the accuracy of maternal perception of fetal movements (MPFM in diabetic pregnant women, using Apgar score at the 1st and 5th min of life, intrapartum fetal distress and neonatal hypoxia as parameters. Methods: two hundred and nine diabetic women evaluated at the High Risk Prenatal Care Clinic of the Women's Hospital (CAISM were analyzed retrospectively between June 1988 and May 1996. All patients had MPFM records within three days before delivery, fetal heart rate recordings during labor, gestational age greater than 30 weeks and a complete neonatal evaluation. MPFM was classified as normal if seven movements were recorded in 60 min. Results: the sensitivity of the test was 23 and 29% for Apgar score 7 at 5 min and neonatal hypoxia. Conclusions: MPFM is a useful test to identify diabetic women needing fetal evaluation with more complex techniques, given the high NPV, that indicates the capacity to separate the cases where the fetus is in good condition.

  11. Correlation between fetal autopsy and prenatal diagnosis by ultrasound: A systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rossi, A Cristina; Prefumo, Federico

    2017-03-01

    The objective of this study was to review literature about the correlation between fetal autopsy and ultrasound findings of fetal malformations. Search in PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, Clinicl trials.org, reference list was performed. Inclusion criteria for studies selection were: fetal autopsy performed after termination of pregnancy (TOP) or stillbirth, TOP for fetal anomalies, prenatal diagnosis of malformations, data reported as proportional rates. case reports, non English language, data reported in graphs or percentage. From each article: sample size, type of malformation, indication for TOP, autopsy findings. Fetal anomalies were grouped in central nervous system (CNS), genitourinary (GU), congenital heart defects (CHD), gastrointestinal (GI), thorax, limbs, skeleton, genetics (TOP for abnormal karyotype), multiples (TOP for multiple severe malformations for which a single indication for TOP/stillbirth could not be identified). Correspondence between autopsy and ultrasound was defined as agreement (same diagnosis), additional (additional findings undetected by ultrasound), unconfirmed (false positive and false negative ultrasound). PRISMA guidelines were followed. From 19 articles, 3534 fetuses underwent autopsy, which confirmed prenatal ultrasound in 2401 (68.0%) fetuses, provided additional information in 794 (22.5%) fetuses, and unconfirmed prenatal ultrasound in 329 (9.2%) fetuses. The latter group consisted of 3.2% false positive and 2.8% false negative cases. The additional findings changed the final diagnosis in 3.8% of cases. The most frequent indication for TOP/stillbirth was CNS anomalies (36.3%), whereas thorax anomalies represented the less frequent indication (1.7%). The highest agreement between autopsy and prenatal ultrasound was observed in CNS (79.4%) and genetics (79.2%), followed by GU anomalies (76.6%), skeleton (76.6%), CHD (75.5%), thorax (69.7%); GI (62.6%), multiple (37.0%), limbs (23.3%). In spite of the high agreement between prenatal

  12. Antepartum Fetal Monitoring and Spectral Analysis of Preterm Birth Risk

    Science.gov (United States)

    Păsăricără, Alexandru; Nemescu, Dragoş; Arotăriţei, Dragoş; Rotariu, Cristian

    2017-11-01

    The monitoring and analysis of antepartum fetal and maternal recordings is a research area of notable interest due to the relatively high value of preterm birth. The interest stems from the improvement of devices used for monitoring. The current paper presents the spectral analysis of antepartum heart rate recordings conducted during a study in Romania at the Cuza Voda Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinical Hospital from Iasi between 2010 and 2014. The study focuses on normal and preterm birth risk subjects in order to determine differences between these two types or recordings in terms of spectral analysis.

  13. Standardization of the first-trimester fetal cardiac examination using spatiotemporal image correlation with tomographic ultrasound and color Doppler imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turan, S; Turan, O M; Ty-Torredes, K; Harman, C R; Baschat, A A

    2009-06-01

    The challenges of the first-trimester examination of the fetal heart may in part be overcome by technical advances in three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound techniques. Our aim was to standardize the first-trimester 3D imaging approach to the cardiac examination to provide the most consistent and accurate display of anatomy. Low-risk women with normal findings on first-trimester screening at 11 to 13 + 6 weeks had cardiac ultrasound using the following sequence: (1) identification of the four-chamber view; (2) four-dimensional (4D) volume acquisition with spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) and color Doppler imaging (angle = 20 degrees, sweep 10 s); (3) offline, tomographic ultrasound imaging (TUI) analysis with standardized starting plane (four-chamber view), slice number and thickness; (4) assessment of fetal cardiac anatomy (four-chamber view, cardiac axis, size and symmetry, atrioventricular valves, great arteries and descending aorta) with and without color Doppler. 107 consecutive women (age, 16-42 years, body mass index 17.2-50.2 kg/m(2)) were studied. A minimum of three 3D volumes were obtained for each patient, transabdominally in 91.6%. Fetal motion artifact required acquisition of more than three volumes in 20%. The median time for TUI offline analysis was 100 (range, 60-240) s. Individual anatomic landmarks were identified in 89.7-99.1%. Visualization of all structures in one panel was observed in 91 patients (85%). Starting from a simple two-dimensional cardiac landmark-the four-chamber view-the standardized STIC-TUI technique enables detailed segmental cardiac evaluation of the normal fetal heart in the first trimester. (c) 2009 ISUOG.

  14. An innovative, sensorless, pulsatile, continuous-flow total artificial heart: device design and initial in vitro study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukamachi, Kiyotaka; Horvath, David J; Massiello, Alex L; Fumoto, Hideyuki; Horai, Tetsuya; Rao, Santosh; Golding, Leonard A R

    2010-01-01

    We are developing a very small, innovative, continuous-flow total artificial heart (CFTAH) that passively self-balances left and right pump flows and atrial pressures without sensors. This report details the CFTAH design concept and our initial in vitro data. System performance of the CFTAH was evaluated using a mock circulatory loop to determine the range of systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance (SVR and PVR) levels over which the design goal of a maximum absolute atrial pressure difference of 10 mm Hg is achieved for a steady-state flow condition. Pump speed was then modulated at 2,600 +/- 900 rpm to induce flow and arterial pressure pulsation to evaluate the effects of speed pulsations on the system performance. An automatic control mode was also evaluated. Using only passive self-regulation, pump flows were balanced and absolute atrial pressure differences were maintained at mode adjusted pump speed to achieve targeted pump flows based on sensorless calculations of SVR and CFTAH flow. The initial in vitro testing of the CFTAH with a single, valveless, continuous-flow pump demonstrated its passive self-regulation of flows and atrial pressures and a new automatic control mode. Copyright (c) 2010 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Phase-rectified signal averaging method to predict perinatal outcome in infants with very preterm fetal growth restriction- a secondary analysis of TRUFFLE-trial

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lobmaier, Silvia M.; Mensing van Charante, Nico; Ferrazzi, Enrico; Giussani, Dino A.; Shaw, Caroline J.; Müller, Alexander; Ortiz, Javier U.; Ostermayer, Eva; Haller, Bernhard; Prefumo, Federico; Frusca, Tiziana; Hecher, Kurt; Arabin, Birgit; Thilaganathan, Baskaran; Papageorghiou, Aris T.; Bhide, Amarnath; Martinelli, Pasquale; Duvekot, Johannes J.; van Eyck, Jim; Visser, Gerard H A; Schmidt, Georg; Ganzevoort, Wessel; Lees, Christoph C.; Schneider, Karl T M; Bilardo, Caterina M.; Brezinka, Christoph; Diemert, Anke; Derks, Jan B.; Schlembach, Dietmar; Todros, Tullia; Valcamonico, Adriana; Marlow, Neil; van Wassenaer-Leemhuis, Aleid

    2016-01-01

    Background Phase-rectified signal averaging, an innovative signal processing technique, can be used to investigate quasi-periodic oscillations in noisy, nonstationary signals that are obtained from fetal heart rate. Phase-rectified signal averaging is currently the best method to predict survival

  16. Phase-rectified signal averaging method to predict perinatal outcome in infants with very preterm fetal growth restriction- a secondary analysis of TRUFFLE-trial

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lobmaier, Silvia M.; Mensing van Charante, Nico; Ferrazzi, Enrico; Giussani, Dino A.; Shaw, Caroline J.; Müller, Alexander; Ortiz, Javier U.; Ostermayer, Eva; Haller, Bernhard; Prefumo, Federico; Frusca, Tiziana; Hecher, Kurt; Arabin, Birgit; Thilaganathan, Baskaran; Papageorghiou, Aris T.; Bhide, Amarnath; Martinelli, Pasquale; Duvekot, Johannes J.; van Eyck, Jim; Visser, Gerard H. A.; Schmidt, Georg; Ganzevoort, Wessel; Lees, Christoph C.; Schneider, Karl T. M.; Bilardo, Caterina M.; Brezinka, Christoph; Diemert, Anke; Derks, Jan B.; Schlembach, Dietmar; Todros, Tullia; Valcamonico, Adriana; Marlow, Neil; van Wassenaer-Leemhuis, Aleid

    2016-01-01

    Phase-rectified signal averaging, an innovative signal processing technique, can be used to investigate quasi-periodic oscillations in noisy, nonstationary signals that are obtained from fetal heart rate. Phase-rectified signal averaging is currently the best method to predict survival after

  17. Real-Time Automatic Fetal Brain Extraction in Fetal MRI by Deep Learning

    OpenAIRE

    Salehi, Seyed Sadegh Mohseni; Hashemi, Seyed Raein; Velasco-Annis, Clemente; Ouaalam, Abdelhakim; Estroff, Judy A.; Erdogmus, Deniz; Warfield, Simon K.; Gholipour, Ali

    2017-01-01

    Brain segmentation is a fundamental first step in neuroimage analysis. In the case of fetal MRI, it is particularly challenging and important due to the arbitrary orientation of the fetus, organs that surround the fetal head, and intermittent fetal motion. Several promising methods have been proposed but are limited in their performance in challenging cases and in real-time segmentation. We aimed to develop a fully automatic segmentation method that independently segments sections of the feta...

  18. Fetal blood drawing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hobbins, J C; Mahoney, M J

    1975-07-19

    A small sample of fetal blood suitable for studies of haemoglobin synthesis was obtained from a placental vessel under endoscopic visualisation in 23 of 26 patients in whom the procedure was attempted prior to second-trimester abortion. Fetal blood loss, calculated in 23 cases, was between 0-2 ml. and 2-5 ml., and fetal blood-volume depletion varied from 0-5% to 15%. No short-term ill-effects were demonstrated in mother or fetus in any of 16 patients in whom the injection of aborti-facient was postponed for between 16 and 24 hours after the procedure.

  19. Fetal MRI of pathological brain development; Fetale MRT der pathologischen Hirnentwicklung

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brugger, P.C. [Medizinische Universitaet Wien (Austria). Arbeitsgruppe Integrative Morphologie, Zentrum fuer Anatomie und Zellbiologie; Prayer, D. [Medizinische Universitaet Wien (Austria). Klinik fuer Radiodiagnostik

    2006-02-15

    Because of the superior tissue contrast, high spatial resolution, and multiplanar capabilities, fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can depict fetal brain pathologies with high accuracy. Pathological fetal brain development may result from malformations or acquired conditions. Differentiation of these etiologies is important with respect to managing the actual pregnancy or counseling future pregnancies. As a widened ventricular system is a common hallmark of both maldevelopment and acquired conditions, it may cause problems in the differential diagnosis. Fetal MRI can provide detailed morphological information, which allows refinement of the diagnosis of ventricular enlargement in a large number of cases. Systematic work-up of morphological details that may be recognized on MR images provides an approach for achieving a correct diagnosis in cases of ventricle enlargement. (orig.) [German] Aufgrund des hervorragenden Gewebekontrastes, der hohen raeumlichen Aufloesung und multiplanaren Moeglichkeiten erlaubt die fetale Magnetresonanztomographie (MRT) eine detaillierte Darstellung fetaler Hirnpathologien. Eine pathologische Hirnentwicklung kann sowohl auf Fehlbildungen als auch waehrend der Schwangerschaft erworbenen Stoerungen beruhen. Nachdem die weiteren Konsequenzen fuer die bestehende, aber auch fuer folgende Schwangerschaften zu einem grossen Teil von einer Differenzierung dieser Aetiologien abhaengig sein kann, ist ein Erkennen der jeweiligen Pathologie wesentlich. Die morphologische Praesentation erworbener und fehlbildungsbedingter Veraenderungen auf MR-Bildern ist u. U. sehr aehnlich. Besondere differenzialdiagnostische Probleme bereitet dabei das Vorliegen eines erweiterten Ventrikelsystems, das als Symptom unterschiedlichster Veraenderungen vorliegen kann. Anhand einer systematischen Darstellung mittels MR-erfassbarer morphologischer Details wird eine Anleitung gegeben, bei Bestehen dieses Leitsymptoms zu einer moeglichst genauen Diagnose zu kommen

  20. Antithyroid drug-induced fetal goitrous hypothyroidism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bliddal, Sofie; Rasmussen, Ase Krogh; Sundberg, Karin

    2011-01-01

    Maternal overtreatment with antithyroid drugs can induce fetal goitrous hypothyroidism. This condition can have a critical effect on pregnancy outcome, as well as on fetal growth and neurological development. The purpose of this Review is to clarify if and how fetal goitrous hypothyroidism can...... be prevented, and how to react when prevention has failed. Understanding the importance of pregnancy-related changes in maternal thyroid status when treating a pregnant woman is crucial to preventing fetal goitrous hypothyroidism. Maternal levels of free T(4) are the most consistent indication of maternal...... and fetal thyroid status. In patients with fetal goitrous hypothyroidism, intra-amniotic levothyroxine injections improve fetal outcome. The best way to avoid maternal overtreatment with antithyroid drugs is to monitor closely the maternal thyroid status, especially estimates of free T(4) levels....

  1. Fetal growth and perinatal outcome of pregnancies continuing after threatened abortion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Das, A G; Gopalan, S; Dhaliwal, L K

    1996-05-01

    The present study was conducted with the aim to find out the effect of threatened abortion in the current pregnancy on the subsequent perinatal outcome and follow the growth pattern of the fetuses of such complicated pregnancies. The study group consisted of 55 women with threatened abortion and 55 women with normal pregnancies formed the control group. Most of the patients presented at 6-12 weeks' gestation. The fetal growth was monitored by both clinical as well as ultrasound (USG) parameters. The mean growth rates were almost identical throughout gestation. The mean values of each parameter of the study group were found lying with 95% confidence limit values of their control group. The apparent increased incidence of low lying placenta in early pregnancy probably contributed to threatened abortion. There was no significant difference in preterm delivery, low birth-weight and overall perinatal outcome.

  2. Na+-H+ exchanger and proton channel in heart failure associated with Becker and Duchenne muscular dystrophies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bkaily, Ghassan; Jacques, Danielle

    2017-10-01

    Cardiomyopathy is found in patients with Duchenne (DMD) and Becker (BMD) muscular dystrophies, which are linked muscle diseases caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene. Dystrophin defects are not limited to DMD but are also present in mild BMD. The hereditary cardiomyopathic hamster of the UM-X7.1 strain is a particular experimental model of heart failure (HF) leading to early death in muscular dystrophy (dystrophin deficiency and sarcoglycan mutation) and heart disease (δ-sarcoglycan deficiency and dystrophin mutation) in human DMD. Using this model, our previous work showed a defect in intracellular sodium homeostasis before the appearance of any apparent biochemical and histological defects. This was attributed to the continual presence of the fetal slow sodium channel, which was also found to be active in human DMD. Due to muscular intracellular acidosis, the intracellular sodium overload in DMD and BMD was also due to sodium influx through the sodium-hydrogen exchanger NHE-1. Lifetime treatment with an NHE-1 inhibitor prevented intracellular Na + overload and early death due to HF. Our previous work also showed that another proton transporter, the voltage-gated proton channel (Hv1), exists in many cell types including heart cells and skeletal muscle fibers. The Hv1 could be indirectly implicated in the beneficial effect of blocking NHE-1.

  3. Disruption of Fetal Hormonal Programming (Prenatal Stress) Implicates Shared Risk for Sex Differences in Depression and Cardiovascular Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldstein, JM; Handa, RJ; Tobet, SA

    2014-01-01

    Comorbidity of major depressive disorder (MDD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) represents the fourth leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and women have a two times greater risk than men. Thus understanding the pathophysiology has widespread implications for attenuation and prevention of disease burden. We suggest that sex-dependent MDD-CVD comorbidity may result from alterations in fetal programming consequent to the prenatal maternal environments that produce excess glucocorticoids, which then drive sex-dependent developmental alterations of the fetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis circuitry impacting mood, stress regulation, autonomic nervous system (ANS), and the vasculature in adulthood. Evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that disruptions of pathways associated with gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) in neuronal and vascular development and growth factors have critical roles in key developmental periods and adult responses to injury in heart and brain. Understanding the potential fetal origins of these sex differences will contribute to development of novel sex-dependent therapeutics. PMID:24355523

  4. Pregnancy in a Previously Conjoined Thoracopagus Twin with a Crisscross Heart

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bassam H. Rimawi

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Crisscross heart (CCH is a complex, rare, congenital, rotational, cardiac abnormality that accounts for <0.1% of congenital heart defects (CHD. CCH is characterized by the crossing of the inflow streams of the two ventricles due to an abnormal twisting of the heart. A case of maternal CCH has not been previously reported. Case. We report a case of a primigravida with a CCH, who was separated at birth from her thoracopagus conjoined twin. Pregnancy was managed by congenital cardiology, maternal-fetal medicine, anesthesiology, and obstetrics. She underwent a 39-week vaginal delivery without maternal or neonatal complication. Conclusion. A successful term pregnancy outcome was achieved in a patient with CCH using a multidisciplinary approach to address her cardiac condition.

  5. Development of Fetal Movement between 26 and 36 Weeks’ Gestation in Response to Vibro-acoustic Stimulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marybeth eGrant-Beuttler

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: Ultrasound observation of fetal movement has documented general trends in motor development and fetal age when motor response to stimulation is observed. Evaluation of fetal movement quality, in addition to specific motor activity, may improve documentation of motor development and highlight specific motor responses to stimulation. Aims: The aim of this investigation was to assess fetal movement at 26 and 36 weeks gestation during three conditions (baseline, immediate response to vibro-acoustic stimulation (VAS, and post-response. Design: A prospective, longitudinal design was utilized. Subjects: Twelve normally developing fetuses, 8 females and 4 males, were examined with continuous ultrasound imaging. Outcome measures: The Fetal Neurobehavioral Coding System (FENS was used to evaluate the quality of motor activity during 10-second epochs over the three conditions. Results: Seventy-five percent of the fetuses at the 26 week assessment and 100% of the fetuses at the 36 week assessment responded with movement immediately following stimulation. Significant differences in head, fetal breathing, general, limb, and mouthing movements were detected between the 26 week and 36 week assessments. Movement differences between conditions were detected in head, fetal breathing, limb, and mouthing movements. Conclusions: Smoother and more complex movement was observed with fetal maturation. Following VAS stimulation, an immediate increase of large, jerky movements suggest instability in fetal capabilities. Fetal movement quality changes over gestation may reflect sensorimotor synaptogenesis in the central nervous system, while observation of immature movement patterns following VAS stimulation may reflect movement pattern instability.

  6. Simultaneous use of intrapartum fetal pulse oximetry and amnioinfusion in meconium stained amniotic fluid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halvax, László; Szabó, István; Vizer, Miklós; Csermely, Tamás; Ertl, Tibor

    2002-09-10

    Fetal pulse oximetry is a minimally invasive, simple technique which continuously helps to reflect in utero well-being. The presence of meconium in the amniotic fluid may be a clinical sign of fetal hypoxaemia. Amnioinfusion has a beneficial effect on the incidence of meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS), and the presence of meconium below the level of the vocal cords. We studied the impact of amnioinfusion combined with fetal pulse oximetry on the incidence of meconium aspiration syndrome and operative delivery. The retrospective analysis revealed that the presence of meconium below the level of vocal cords was significantly reduced. The frequency of cesarean section is decreased, however, it did not reach statistical significance. Fetal pulse oximetry may be used in combination with amnioinfusion and cardiotocography (CTG) to reduce the risk of meconium aspiration syndrome and the number of instrumental deliveries and improve perinatal outcome. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.

  7. Applicability of initial optimal maternal and fetal electrocardiogram combination vectors to subsequent recordings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan Hua-Wen; Huang Xiao-Lin; Zhao Ying; Si Jun-Feng; Liu Hong-Xing; Liu Tie-Bing

    2014-01-01

    A series of experiments are conducted to confirm whether the vectors calculated for an early section of a continuous non-invasive fetal electrocardiogram (fECG) recording can be directly applied to subsequent sections in order to reduce the computation required for real-time monitoring. Our results suggest that it is generally feasible to apply the initial optimal maternal and fetal ECG combination vectors to extract the fECG and maternal ECG in subsequent recorded sections. (interdisciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

  8. Clinical pattern of heart diseases in children

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ejaz, M.S.; Billoo, A.G.

    2000-01-01

    This study was done to determine various causes and clinical presentation of heart disease in children. It was a prospective hospital study conducted in Department of Pediatrics Civil Hospital, Karachi from August 1995 to February 1996. In this study, 70 patients of heart disease upto 12 years of age were inducted. There were 33 (47.14%) cases of congenital heart diseases and 37 (52.85%) cases of acquired heart diseases. The age distribution showed that heart disease was more frequent between 0-11 months of age (41.42%). Congenital heart diseases were also frequent between 0-11 months (28.57%). On the other hand acquired heart diseases were more common between 6-12 years (22.85%). In this study the males were predominantly involved, the male to female ratio was 1.05:1. In congenital heart disease it was 1.3:1 and in acquired heart diseases it was 0.85:1. Ventricular septal defect was the commonest congenital lesion reported (20%). Rheumatic fever and viral myocarditis were two frequently occurring acquired heart-diseases 17.14% each. The common presentation of heart diseases were respiratory distress (94.28%), fever (90%), feeding difficulty (57.14%) and failure to thrive (34.28%). In case of rheumatic fever, chorea was present in 8.57%, arthritis in 11.42% and S/C nodules (2.85%) cases respectively. The early management of the problem may help in decreasing morbidity and mortality due to these disease in children. Prenatal detection of congenital cardiac lesions by fetal echocardiography in high risk pregnancies, early intervention in neonatal period and counseling of the parents may help in prevention of congenital heart diseases in children. Primary prevention of rheumatic fever can be achieved by early diagnosis and treatment of streptococcal throat infection. (author)

  9. Lipid peroxidation and antioxidant activity in patients in labor with nonreassuring fetal status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dede, F S; Guney, Yildiz; Dede, Hulya; Koca, Cemile; Dilbaz, Berna; Bilgihan, Ayse

    2006-01-01

    The aim of our study was to evaluate lipid peroxidation products and antioxidant enzyme activity in placental tissue and umbilical cord blood, as a marker for fetal hypoxia in patients in labor with nonreassuring fetal status. Umbilical cord arterial blood and placental tissue samples were collected from 24 patients with term pregnancies in labor and nonreassuring fetal heart rate (FHR) patterns (study) and 24 women with normal pregnancies in labor and normal FHR tracings (controls) for determination of malondialdehyde (MDA) as a marker for lipid peroxidation and superoxide dismutase (SOD) for the antioxidant activity. Measured values were compared statistically between two groups using independent samples t-test or Mann-Whitney U-test. The median 1min Apgar score was 8 (range 4-9) in the study group and 9 (range 8-10) in the control group, respectively (p 0.05). Placental MDA levels in patients with nonreassuring fetal status were found to be significantly elevated compared to the control group (12.14 nmol/g tissue versus 9.75 nmol/g tissue; p < 0.01). The placental SOD activity in the study group was significantly higher (p < 0.01) compared to controls (3.57 U/mg protein versus 2.63 U/mg protein). The umbilical cord blood MDA levels in the study group were higher than in normal pregnancies (4.99 nmol/mL, 3.88 nmol/mL; p < 0.05). The activity of SOD in umbilical cord blood was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in patients with nonreassuring fetal status when compared with the control group (11.62 versus 6.95 U/mL). Lipid peroxidation products and antioxidant functions were elevated in the umbilical cord blood and placenta of patients having nonreassuring FHR tracings during labor. These findings indicate that lipid peroxidation products in placenta and umbilical cord blood can be used as a possible marker for fetal hypoxia during labor and SOD levels may discriminate acute from chronic hypoxia. Further investigations are needed with large number of series to

  10. Effects of cord compression on fetal blood flow distribution and O2 delivery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Itskovitz, J.; LaGamma, E.F.; Rudolph, A.M.

    1987-01-01

    The authors used the radionuclide microsphere technique in nine fetal lambs to examine the effect of partial cord compression on distribution of cardiac output and O 2 delivery to fetal organs and venous flow patterns. With a 50% reduction in umbilical blood flow the fraction of fetal cardiac output distributed to the brain, heart, carcass, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract increased. Pulmonary blood flow fell. O 2 delivery to the brain and myocardium was maintained but was reduced to peripheral, renal, and gastrointestinal circulations. Hepatic blood flow decreased and O 2 delivery fell by 75%. The proportion of umbilical venous blood passing through the ductus venosus increased from 43.9 to 71.8%. The preferential distribution of ductus venosus blood flow through the foramen ovale was enhanced and the proportion of O 2 delivery to upper body organs derived from the ductus venosus increased. Abdominal inferior vena caval blood flow increased, and it was also preferentially distributed through the foramen ovale and constituted the major fraction of the arterial blood supply to the upper body organs. Thus cord compression modified the distribution of cardiac output and the patterns of venous returns in the fetus. This pattern of circulatory response differs from that observed with other causes of reduced O 2 delivery

  11. Cardiac fibroblast transcriptome analyses support a role for interferogenic, profibrotic, and inflammatory genes in anti-SSA/Ro-associated congenital heart block.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clancy, Robert M; Markham, Androo J; Jackson, Tanisha; Rasmussen, Sara E; Blumenberg, Miroslav; Buyon, Jill P

    2017-09-01

    The signature lesion of SSA/Ro autoantibody-associated congenital heart block (CHB) is fibrosis and a macrophage infiltrate, supporting an experimental focus on cues influencing the fibroblast component. The transcriptomes of human fetal cardiac fibroblasts were analyzed using two complementary approaches. Cardiac injury conditions were simulated in vitro by incubating human fetal cardiac fibroblasts with supernatants from macrophages transfected with the SSA/Ro-associated noncoding Y ssRNA. The top 10 upregulated transcripts in the stimulated fibroblasts reflected a type I interferon (IFN) response [e.g., IFN-induced protein 44-like (IFI44L), of MX dynamin-like GTPase (MX)1, MX2, and radical S -adenosyl methionine domain containing 2 (Rsad2)]. Within the fibrotic pathway, transcript levels of endothelin-1 (EDN1), phosphodiesterase (PDE)4D, chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand (CXCL)2, and CXCL3 were upregulated, while others, including adenomedullin, RAP guanine nucleotide exchange factor 3 (RAPGEF3), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)1, TIMP3, and dual specificity phosphatase 1, were downregulated. Agnostic Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery analysis revealed a significant increase in inflammatory genes, including complement C3A receptor 1 (C3AR1), F2R-like thrombin/trypsin receptor 3, and neutrophil cytosolic factor 2. In addition, stimulated fibroblasts expressed high levels of phospho-MADS box transcription enhancer factor 2 [a substrate of MAPK5 (ERK5)], which was inhibited by BIX-02189, a specific inhibitor of ERK5. Translation to human disease leveraged an unprecedented opportunity to interrogate the transcriptome of fibroblasts freshly isolated and cell sorted without stimulation from a fetal heart with CHB and a matched healthy heart. Consistent with the in vitro data, five IFN response genes were among the top 10 most highly expressed transcripts in CHB fibroblasts. In addition, the expression of matrix-related genes

  12. Value of fetal skeletal radiographs in the diagnosis of fetal death

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bourliere-Najean, B.; Russel, A.S.; Petit, P.; Devred, P.; Panuel, M.; Piercecchi-Marti, M.D.; Fredouille, C.; Sigaudy, S.; Philip, N.

    2003-01-01

    The aim of this study was to assess the value of fetal skeletal radiographs in determining the etiology of fetal death. A total of 1193 post-mortem fetal skeletal radiographs were analysed. Fetuses were classified into one of three groups (group I: abnormality diagnosed during pregnancy; group II: maternal pathology; group III: spontaneous abortion of pregnancy, IIIa before 26 weeks of gestation (WG), IIIb after 26 weeks of gestation). Face, supine and lateral skeletal views were performed. Skeletal abnormalities were detected in 33.9% of the fetuses, including 22.7% with minor abnormalities (abnormal rib number, no nasal bone ossification, amesophalangia or P2 hypoplasia of the fifth digit) and 14.5% with major abnormalities (other skeletal abnormalities). Among the fetuses with major abnormalities, 98.8% came from group I, 2.9% came from group II, 2.3% came from group IIIa and none came from group IIIb. Fetal skeletal radiographs are not useful in fetuses arising from spontaneous abortion of pregnancy without abnormality on ultrasound screening, abnormality clinical examination or in fetuses with prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal abnormality. This practice is valuable only if there is a multidisciplinary team, with all the participants (pathologists, radiologists, geneticists) knowledgeable about fetal pathology. In the absence of this multidisciplinary approach, it is easier to X-ray all fetuses to avoid misdiagnosis and the important consequences for genetic counselling. (orig.)

  13. Value of fetal skeletal radiographs in the diagnosis of fetal death

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bourliere-Najean, B.; Russel, A.S.; Petit, P.; Devred, P. [Department of Pediatric Radiology, CHU Timone, 264 rue St. Pierre, 13385 Marseille cedex 5 (France); Panuel, M. [Department of Radiology, Hopital Nord, chemin Bourrelys, 13915 Marseille cedex 20 (France); Piercecchi-Marti, M.D.; Fredouille, C. [Department of Pathology, CHU Timone, 264 rue St. Pierre, 13385 Marseille cedex 5 (France); Sigaudy, S.; Philip, N. [Department of Genetics, CHU Timone, 264 rue St. Pierre, 13385 Marseille cedex 5 (France)

    2003-05-01

    The aim of this study was to assess the value of fetal skeletal radiographs in determining the etiology of fetal death. A total of 1193 post-mortem fetal skeletal radiographs were analysed. Fetuses were classified into one of three groups (group I: abnormality diagnosed during pregnancy; group II: maternal pathology; group III: spontaneous abortion of pregnancy, IIIa before 26 weeks of gestation (WG), IIIb after 26 weeks of gestation). Face, supine and lateral skeletal views were performed. Skeletal abnormalities were detected in 33.9% of the fetuses, including 22.7% with minor abnormalities (abnormal rib number, no nasal bone ossification, amesophalangia or P2 hypoplasia of the fifth digit) and 14.5% with major abnormalities (other skeletal abnormalities). Among the fetuses with major abnormalities, 98.8% came from group I, 2.9% came from group II, 2.3% came from group IIIa and none came from group IIIb. Fetal skeletal radiographs are not useful in fetuses arising from spontaneous abortion of pregnancy without abnormality on ultrasound screening, abnormality clinical examination or in fetuses with prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal abnormality. This practice is valuable only if there is a multidisciplinary team, with all the participants (pathologists, radiologists, geneticists) knowledgeable about fetal pathology. In the absence of this multidisciplinary approach, it is easier to X-ray all fetuses to avoid misdiagnosis and the important consequences for genetic counselling. (orig.)

  14. Differential effect of assisted reproductive technology and small-for-gestational age on fetal cardiac remodeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valenzuela-Alcaraz, B; Crispi, F; Cruz-Lemini, M; Bijnens, B; García-Otero, L; Sitges, M; Balasch, J; Gratacós, E

    2017-07-01

    Fetuses conceived by assisted reproductive technology (ART) and those that are small-for-gestational age (SGA) show cardiovascular remodeling in utero; however, these two conditions are often associated. We aimed to evaluate the differential effect of ART and SGA on fetal cardiac remodeling. This was a prospective cohort study of term singleton pregnancies seen at our department between April 2011 and September 2013. The cohort was divided according to fetal growth and mode of conception into the following four groups: 102 appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) fetuses conceived spontaneously (controls), 72 AGA fetuses conceived by ART (ART-AGA), 31 SGA fetuses conceived by ART (ART-SGA) and 28 SGA fetuses conceived naturally (Spont-SGA). SGA was defined as birth weight Fetal echocardiography was performed at 28-32 weeks to assess cardiac dimensions, geometry and function. ART fetuses had dilated atria (mean left atrium-to-heart area ratio: controls, 15 ± 2.7%; ART-AGA, 18 ± 4.1%; Spont-SGA, 14 ± 3.7%) and more globular ventricles (left ventricular sphericity index: controls, 1.77 ± 0.2; ART-AGA, 1.68 ± 0.2; Spont-SGA, 1.72 ± 0.2), with normally sized hearts. In contrast, SGA fetuses had enlarged hearts (cardiothoracic ratio: controls, 24 ± 3%; ART-AGA, 24 ± 4%; Spont-SGA, 29 ± 6%), preserved atrial size, more globular and concentric hypertrophic ventricles (left ventricle relative wall thickness: controls, 0.48 ± 0.17; ART-AGA, 0.54 ± 0.13; Spont-SGA, 0.63 ± 0.23). Both ART and SGA fetuses had decreased longitudinal motion (tricuspid annular ring displacement: controls, 6.5 ± 0.8 mm; ART-AGA, 5.5 ± 0.7 mm; Spont-SGA, 5.9 ± 0.6 mm) and impaired relaxation (left isovolumetric relaxation time: controls, 47.0 ± 7.3 ms; ART-AGA, 50.0 ± 7.9 ms; Spont-SGA, 49.5 ± 9.3 ms). ART-SGA fetuses presented a combination of features from both ART and SGA groups. SGA and conception with ART

  15. Baseline albumin is associated with worsening renal function in patients with acute decompensated heart failure receiving continuous infusion loop diuretics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clarke, Megan M; Dorsch, Michael P; Kim, Susie; Aaronson, Keith D; Koelling, Todd M; Bleske, Barry E

    2013-06-01

    To identify baseline predictors of worsening renal function (WRF) in an acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) patient population receiving continuous infusion loop diuretics. Retrospective observational analysis. Academic tertiary medical center. A total of 177 patients with ADHF receiving continuous infusion loop diuretics from January 2006 through June 2009. The mean patient age was 61 years, 63% were male, ~45% were classified as New York Heart Association functional class III, and the median length of loop diuretic infusion was 4 days. Forty-eight patients (27%) developed WRF, and 34 patients (19%) died during hospitalization. Cox regression time-to-event analysis was used to determine the time to WRF based on different demographic and clinical variables. Baseline serum albumin 3 g/dl or less was the only significant predictor of WRF (hazard ratio [HR] 2.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.60-5.16, p=0.0004), which remained significant despite adjustments for other covariates. Serum albumin 3 g/dl or less is a practical baseline characteristic associated with the development of WRF in patients with ADHF receiving continuous infusion loop diuretics. © 2013 Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc.

  16. Epigenetic regulation and fetal programming.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gicquel, Christine; El-Osta, Assam; Le Bouc, Yves

    2008-02-01

    Fetal programming encompasses the role of developmental plasticity in response to environmental and nutritional signals during early life and its potential adverse consequences (risk of cardiovascular, metabolic and behavioural diseases) in later life. The first studies in this field highlighted an association between poor fetal growth and chronic adult diseases. However, environmental signals during early life may lead to adverse long-term effects independently of obvious effects on fetal growth. Adverse long-term effects reflect a mismatch between early (fetal and neonatal) environmental conditions and the conditions that the individual will confront later in life. The mechanisms underlying this risk remain unclear. However, experimental data in rodents and recent observations in humans suggest that epigenetic changes in regulatory genes and growth-related genes play a significant role in fetal programming. Improvements in our understanding of the biochemical and molecular mechanisms at play in fetal programming would make it possible to identify biomarkers for detecting infants at high risk of adult-onset diseases. Such improvements should also lead to the development of preventive and therapeutic strategies.

  17. Percutaneously injectable fetal pacemaker: electrodes, mechanical design and implantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Li; Chmait, Ramen; Bar-Cohen, Yaniv; Peck, Raymond A; Loeb, Gerald E

    2012-01-01

    We are developing a self-contained cardiac pacemaker with a small, cylindrical shape (~3 × 20 mm) that permits it to be implanted percutaneously into a fetus to treat complete heart block and consequent hydrops fetalis, which is otherwise fatal. The device uses off-the-shelf components including a rechargeable lithium cell and a highly efficient relaxation oscillator encapsulated in epoxy and glass. A corkscrew electrode made from activated iridium can be screwed into the myocardium, followed by release of the pacemaker and a short, flexible lead entirely within the chest of the fetus to avoid dislodgement from fetal movement. The feasibility of implanting the device percutaneously under ultrasonic imaging guidance was demonstrated in acute adult rabbit experiments.

  18. Fetal pancreatic beta-cell function in pregnancies complicated by maternal diabetes mellitus: relationship to fetal acidemia and macrosomia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salvesen, D R; Brudenell, J M; Proudler, A J; Crook, D; Nicolaides, K H

    1993-05-01

    Our purpose was to investigate the relationship between fetal pancreatic beta-cell function and fetal acidemia and macrosomia in pregnancies complicated by maternal diabetes mellitus. A cross-sectional study at the Harris Birthright Research Centre for Fetal Medicine, London, was performed. In 32 pregnancies complicated by maternal diabetes mellitus cordocentesis was performed at 36 to 39 weeks' gestation for the measurement of umbilical venous blood pH, PO2, PCO2, lactate, and glucose concentration; plasma insulin immunoreactivity; and insulin/glucose ratio. A reference range for plasma insulin and insulin/glucose ratio was constructed by studying fetal blood samples from 80 women who did not have diabetes mellitus. Mean umbilical venous blood pH was significantly lower and plasma insulin immunoreactivity and insulin/glucose ratio were significantly higher than the appropriate normal mean for gestation. There were significant associations between (1) maternal and fetal blood glucose concentrations (r = 0.95, p < 0.0001), (2) fetal blood glucose and plasma insulin immunoreactivity (r = 0.57, p < 0.01), (3) fetal plasma insulin immunoreactivity and blood pH (r = -0.39, p < 0.05), and (4) fetal insulin/glucose ratio and degree of macrosomia (r = 0.76, p < 0.0001). Fetal pancreatic beta-cell hyperplasia is implicated in the pathogenesis of both fetal acidemia and macrosomia.

  19. In-utero three dimension high resolution fetal brain diffusion tensor imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Shuzhou; Xue, Hui; Counsell, Serena; Anjari, Mustafa; Allsop, Joanna; Rutherford, Mary; Rueckert, Daniel; Hajnal, Joseph V

    2007-01-01

    We present a methodology to achieve 3D high resolution in-utero fetal brain DTI that shows excellent ADC as well as promising FA maps. After continuous DTI scanning to acquire a repeated series of parallel slices with 15 diffusion directions, image registration is used to realign the images to correct for fetal motion. Once aligned, the diffusion images are treated as irregularly sampled data where each voxel is associated with an appropriately rotated diffusion direction, and used to estimate the diffusion tensor on a regular grid. The method has been tested successful on eight fetuses and has been validated on adults imaged at 1.5T.

  20. Continuous measurement of heart rate variability following carbon ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2010-07-16

    Jul 16, 2010 ... Power spectral analysis of the electrocardiographic R-R interval [heart rate variability: (HRV)] is a well known, non- invasive method for assessing autonomic nervous activity.1. Studies using HRV analysis during positive-pressure pneumoperitoneum (PPP) have demonstrated increased sympathetic ...

  1. Fetal magnetic resonance imaging of thoracic and abdominal malformations; Fetale Magnetresonanztomographie thorakaler und abdomineller Malformationen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Woitek, R.; Asenbaum, U.; Furtner, J.; Prayer, D. [Medizinische Universitaet Wien, Abteilung fuer Neuroradiologie und Muskuloskelettale Radiologie, Universitaetsklinik fuer Radiodiagnostik, Wien (Austria); Brugger, P.C. [Medizinische Universitaet Wien, Zentrum fuer Anatomie und Zellbiologie, Wien (Austria)

    2013-02-15

    Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of fetal thoracic and abdominal malformations. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In cases of suspected pathologies based on fetal ultrasound MRI can be used for more detailed examinations and can be of assistance in the differential diagnostic process. Improved imaging of anatomical structures and of the composition of different tissues by the use of different MRI sequences. Fetal MRI has become a part of clinical routine in thoracic and abdominal malformations and is the basis for scientific research in this field. In cases of thoracic or abdominal malformations fetal MRI provides important information additional to ultrasound to improve diagnostic accuracy, prognostic evaluation and surgical planning. (orig.) [German] Diagnose und Differenzialdiagnose fetaler thorakaler und abdomineller Malformationen. Ultraschall, MRT. MRT zur weiteren Abklaerung und genaueren Differenzierung bei vielen im Ultraschall gestellten Verdachtsdiagnosen. Verbesserte anatomische Darstellung mittels MRT und Darstellung unterschiedlicher Gewebezusammensetzung mittels verschiedener MR-Sequenzen. Die fetale MRT ist bei der angegebenen Fragestellung in die klinische Routine eingegangen und liefert weiterhin die Basis fuer wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen in diesem Bereich. Die fetale MRT liefert beim Vorliegen thorakaler oder abdomineller Malformationen komplementaer zum Ultraschall wichtige Zusatzinformationen, um die diagnostische Genauigkeit zu erhoehen, die Prognoseabschaetzung zu verbessern und ggf. eine bessere chirurgische Planung zu ermoeglichen. (orig.)

  2. Distribution of 131I-labeled recombinant human erythropoietin in maternal and fetal organs following intravenous administration in pregnant rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yilmaz, O.; Lambrecht, F.Y.; Durkan, K.; Gokmen, N.; Erbayraktar, S.

    2007-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the possible transplacental transmission of 131 I labeled recombinant human erythropoietin ( 131 I-rh-EPO) in pregnant rats and its distribution through maternal and fetal organs. Six Wistar Albino Rats in their pregnancy of 18 days were used 131 I labeled recombinant human erythropoietin (specific activity = 2.4 μCi/IU) was injected into the tail vein of rats. After 30 minutes labeled erythropoietin infusion maternal stomach, kidney, lung, liver, brain and heart as well as fetus were removed. Then, the same organs were removed from each fetus. Measuring weight of maternal and fetal organs as well as placenta were followed by radioactivity count via Cd(Te) detector. 131 I labeled recombinant human erythropoietin was found to be able to pass rat placenta and its distribution order in fetal organs was similar to those of maternal organs. Besides, as measurements were performed closer to cornu uteri, uptakes were decreasing in every fetus and its corresponding placenta. (author)

  3. Chromosome 11-linked determinant controls fetal globin expression and the fetal-to-adult globin switch

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Melis, M.; Demopulos, G.; Najfeld, V.; Zhang, J.W.; Brice, M.; Papayannopoulou, T.; Stamatoyannopoulos, G.

    1987-01-01

    Hybrids formed by fusing mouse erythroleukemia (MEL) cells with human fetal erythroid cells produce human fetal globin, but they switch to adult globin production as culture time advances. To obtain information on the chromosomal assignment of the elements that control γ-to-β switching, the authors analyzed the chromosomal composition of hybrids producing exclusively or predominantly human fetal globin and hybrids producing only adult human globin. No human chromosome was consistently present in hybrids expressing fetal globin and consistently absent in hybrids expressing adult globin. Subcloning experiments demonstrated identical chromosomal compositions in subclones displaying the fetal globin program and those that had switched to expression of the adult globin program. These data indicate that retention of only one human chromosome -- i.e., chromosome 11 -- is sufficient for expression of human fetal globin and the subsequent γ-to-β switch. The results suggest that the γ-to-β switch is controlled either cis to the β-globin locus of by a trans-acting mechanism, the genes of which reside on human chromosome 11

  4. Heart Failure with Recovered EF and Heart Failure with Mid-Range EF: Current Recommendations and Controversies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Unkovic, Peter; Basuray, Anupam

    2018-04-03

    This review explores key features and potential management controversies in two emerging populations in heart failure: heart failure with recovered ejection fraction (HF-recovered EF) and heart failure with mid-range ejection fraction (HFmrEF). While HF-recovered EF patients have better outcomes than heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), they continue to have symptoms, persistent biomarker elevations, and abnormal outcomes suggesting a continued disease process. HFmrEF patients appear to have features of HFrEF and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), but have a high prevalence of ischemic heart disease and may represent a transitory phase between the HFrEF and HFpEF. Management strategies have insufficient data to warrant standardization at this time. HF-recovered EF and HFmrEF represent new populations with unmet needs and expose the pitfalls of an EF basis for heart failure classification.

  5. Daily rhythms in renal blood flow and urine production rate in the near-term sheep fetus

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Poortinga, FMI; Aarnoudse, JG

    Daily rhythmicity of renal blood flow (RBF) and urine flow (UF) was studied in fetal sheep between 121-125 d of gestation. Fetal arterial blood pressure, heart rate, UF, and right RBF were measured continuously for 24-h periods in 10 sheep, Rhythmic variations during a 24-h period were found for all

  6. The impact of obesity on cardiovascular structure and function: the fetal programming era

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    St-Pierre J

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Julie St-Pierre1, Luigi Bouchard2,3, Paul Poirier41Department of Pediatrics, Chicoutimi Hospital, Saguenay, QC, Canada; 2Department of Biochemistry, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada; 3ECOGENE-21 and Lipid Clinic, Chicoutimi Hospital, Saguenay, QC, Canada; 4Quebec Heart and Lungs Institute, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, CanadaAbstract: The burden of obesity is now well established as a precursor of cardiovascular disease and other disorders. Although better clinical guidelines exist to prevent and treat obesity, the prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents is increasing alarmingly. Primary prevention remains the gold standard to significantly reduce the public health concerns associated with obesity. Traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors (such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, type 2 diabetes for cardiovascular disease among children and adolescents are known. The scope of this review is thus to discuss new and emerging obesity and associated-disease risk factors. Evaluation of the coronary plaque formation, diastolic dysfunction, carotid intima-media thickness and heart rate variability represent interesting tools with clinical relevance. Beyond these new cardiovascular disease risk factors, recent evidence suggests that a detrimental fetal environment, associated with for example, maternal obesity, insulin resistance, and physical inactivity, imprints fetal metabolic programming via epigenetic mechanisms that predisposes the newborn to obesity and cardiovascular disease later in life. This information may impact on the future management of maternal health, as well as for those high-risk children.Keywords: cardiovascular disease, pediatrics, risk factors

  7. Digital atlas of fetal brain MRI.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chapman, Teresa; Matesan, Manuela; Weinberger, Ed; Bulas, Dorothy I

    2010-02-01

    Fetal MRI can be performed in the second and third trimesters. During this time, the fetal brain undergoes profound structural changes. Interpretation of appropriate development might require comparison with normal age-based models. Consultation of a hard-copy atlas is limited by the inability to compare multiple ages simultaneously. To provide images of normal fetal brains from weeks 18 through 37 in a digital format that can be reviewed interactively. This will facilitate recognition of abnormal brain development. T2-W images for the atlas were obtained from fetal MR studies of normal brains scanned for other indications from 2005 to 2007. Images were oriented in standard axial, coronal and sagittal projections, with laterality established by situs. Gestational age was determined by last menstrual period, earliest US measurements and sonogram performed on the same day as the MR. The software program used for viewing the atlas, written in C#, permits linked scrolling and resizing the images. Simultaneous comparison of varying gestational ages is permissible. Fetal brain images across gestational ages 18 to 37 weeks are provided as an interactive digital atlas and are available for free download from http://radiology.seattlechildrens.org/teaching/fetal_brain . Improved interpretation of fetal brain abnormalities can be facilitated by the use of digital atlas cataloging of the normal changes throughout fetal development. Here we provide a description of the atlas and a discussion of normal fetal brain development.

  8. BIOPREPARATIONS USING IN THE ISCHEMIC HEART INJURY THERAPY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. K. Gulevsky

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Possibility of biologically active substances using such as growth factors, cytomedines, natural antioxidants, substances contained in extracts from juvenile and fetal organs and animal tissues in the experiments and clinic of ischemic heart injury are discussed. Along with the well-studied and widely used in clinical practice biopreparations such as kordialin, actovegin, erbisol nesiritide, energostim, as promising tools for treatment of cardiovascular diseases, the extracts from the heart and low molecular weight fraction of cord blood are considered. It is shown that using of tissue reparative embriofetoplatsenta complex increases myocardial contractility. The main difference between these biopreparations and biogenic stimulants is that they have a balanced composition of biologically active substances, in particular different activators of regeneration and differentiation (fibroblast growth factors, nerve-stimulating factor and macrophage erythroid colonies and anti-proliferative cytokines preventing cellular and systemic hyperstimulation as well as other substances able to initiate a directed differentiation of stem cells and to affect regeneration of human myocardium, and hence to optimize the treatment of myocardial infarction. In addition, fetal cells and their associates are almost nonimmunogens. Thus, if the growth factors and differentiation capable to regulate the mitotic activity of cardiomyocytes are determined, it will be possible to initiate a process of stem cells directed differentiation and affect on the human myocardium regeneration, and hence to optimize the treatment of myocardial infarction.

  9. Lung regeneration by fetal lung tissue implantation in a mouse pulmonary emphysema model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uyama, Koh; Sakiyama, Shoji; Yoshida, Mitsuteru; Kenzaki, Koichiro; Toba, Hiroaki; Kawakami, Yukikiyo; Okumura, Kazumasa; Takizawa, Hiromitsu; Kondo, Kazuya; Tangoku, Akira

    2016-01-01

    The mortality and morbidity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are high. However, no radical therapy has been developed to date. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether fetal mouse lung tissue can grow and differentiate in the emphysematous lung. Fetal lung tissue from green fluorescent protein C57BL/6 mice at 16 days' gestation was used as donor material. Twelve-month-old pallid mice were used as recipients. Donor lungs were cut into small pieces and implanted into the recipient left lung by performing thoracotomy under anesthesia. The recipient mice were sacrificed at day 7, 14, and 28 after implantation and used for histological examination. Well-developed spontaneous pulmonary emphysema was seen in 12-month-old pallid mice. Smooth and continuous connection between implanted fetal lung tissue and recipient lung was recognized. Air space expansion and donor tissue differentiation were observed over time. We could clearly distinguish the border zones between injected tissue and native tissue by the green fluorescence of grafts. Fetal mouse lung fragments survived and differentiated in the emphysematous lung of pallid mice. Implantation of fetal lung tissue in pallid mice might lead to further lung regeneration research from the perspective of respiratory and exercise function. J. Med. Invest. 63: 182-186, August, 2016.

  10. Effects of chronic carbon monoxide exposure on fetal growth and development in mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Venditti Carolina C

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Carbon monoxide (CO is produced endogenously, and can also be acquired from many exogenous sources: ie. cigarette smoking, automobile exhaust. Although toxic at high levels, low level production or exposure lends to normal physiologic functions: smooth muscle cell relaxation, control of vascular tone, platelet aggregation, anti- inflammatory and anti-apoptotic events. In pregnancy, it is unclear at what level maternal CO exposure becomes toxic to the fetus. In this study, we hypothesized that CO would be embryotoxic, and we sought to determine at what level of chronic CO exposure in pregnancy embryo/fetotoxic effects are observed. Methods Pregnant CD1 mice were exposed to continuous levels of CO (0 to 400 ppm from conception to gestation day 17. The effect on fetal/placental growth and development, and fetal/maternal CO concentrations were determined. Results Maternal and fetal CO blood concentrations ranged from 1.12- 15.6 percent carboxyhemoglobin (%COHb and 1.0- 28.6%COHb, respectively. No significant difference was observed in placental histological morphology or in placental mass with any CO exposure. At 400 ppm CO vs. control, decreased litter size and fetal mass (p Conclusions Exposure to levels at or below 300 ppm CO throughout pregnancy has little demonstrable effect on fetal growth and development in the mouse.

  11. Maternal protein-energy malnutrition during early pregnancy in sheep impacts the fetal ornithine cycle to reduce fetal kidney microvascular development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dunford, Louise J; Sinclair, Kevin D; Kwong, Wing Y; Sturrock, Craig; Clifford, Bethan L; Giles, Tom C; Gardner, David S

    2014-11-01

    This paper identifies a common nutritional pathway relating maternal through to fetal protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) and compromised fetal kidney development. Thirty-one twin-bearing sheep were fed either a control (n=15) or low-protein diet (n=16, 17 vs. 8.7 g crude protein/MJ metabolizable energy) from d 0 to 65 gestation (term, ∼ 145 d). Effects on the maternal and fetal nutritional environment were characterized by sampling blood and amniotic fluid. Kidney development was characterized by histology, immunohistochemistry, vascular corrosion casts, and molecular biology. PEM had little measureable effect on maternal and fetal macronutrient balance (glucose, total protein, total amino acids, and lactate were unaffected) or on fetal growth. PEM decreased maternal and fetal urea concentration, which blunted fetal ornithine availability and affected fetal hepatic polyamine production. For the first time in a large animal model, we associated these nutritional effects with reduced micro- but not macrovascular development in the fetal kidney. Maternal PEM specifically impacts the fetal ornithine cycle, affecting cellular polyamine metabolism and microvascular development of the fetal kidney, effects that likely underpin programming of kidney development and function by a maternal low protein diet. © FASEB.

  12. Abcc9 is required for the transition to oxidative metabolism in the newborn heart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fahrenbach, John P; Stoller, Douglas; Kim, Gene; Aggarwal, Nitin; Yerokun, Babatunde; Earley, Judy U; Hadhazy, Michele; Shi, Nian-Qing; Makielski, Jonathan C; McNally, Elizabeth M

    2014-07-01

    The newborn heart adapts to postnatal life by shifting from a fetal glycolytic metabolism to a mitochondrial oxidative metabolism. Abcc9, an ATP-binding cassette family member, increases expression concomitant with this metabolic shift. Abcc9 encodes a membrane-associated receptor that partners with a potassium channel to become the major potassium-sensitive ATP channel in the heart. Abcc9 also encodes a smaller protein enriched in the mitochondria. We now deleted exon 5 of Abcc9 to ablate expression of both plasma membrane and mitochondria-associated Abcc9-encoded proteins, and found that the myocardium failed to acquire normal mature metabolism, resulting in neonatal cardiomyopathy. Unlike wild-type neonatal cardiomyocytes, mitochondria from Ex5 cardiomyocytes were unresponsive to the KATP agonist diazoxide, consistent with loss of KATP activity. When exposed to hydrogen peroxide to induce cell stress, Ex5 neonatal cardiomyocytes displayed a rapid collapse of mitochondria membrane potential, distinct from wild-type cardiomyocytes. Ex5 cardiomyocytes had reduced fatty acid oxidation, reduced oxygen consumption and reserve. Morphologically, Ex5 cardiac mitochondria exhibited an immature pattern with reduced cross-sectional area and intermitochondrial contacts. In the absence of Abcc9, the newborn heart fails to transition normally from fetal to mature myocardial metabolism.-Fahrenbach, J. P., Stoller, D., Kim, G., Aggarwal, N., Yerokun, B., Earley, J. U., Hadhazy, M., Shi, N.-Q., Makielski, J. C., McNally, E. M. Abcc9 is required for the transition to oxidative metabolism in the newborn heart. © FASEB.

  13. Accounting for Fetal Origins

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dalgaard, Carl-Johan Lars; Hansen, Casper Worm; Strulik, Holger

    2017-01-01

    The Fetal Origins hypothesis has received considerable empirical support, both within epidemiology and economics. The present study compares the ability of two rival theoretical frameworks in accounting for the kind of path dependence implied by the Fetal Origins Hypothesis. We argue that while...

  14. The number of fetal cells in maternal blood is associated to exercise and fetal gender

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schlütter, Jacob Mørup; Kirkegaard, Ida; Christensen, Connie Britta

    Introduction: We have established a robust method to specifically identify and isolate a placental fetal cell in maternal blood (fcmbs) at a gestational age of 12 weeks. The concentration of these cells, however, varies considerably among pregnant women (median 3 fcmbs/30 mL blood, range 0...... activity was obtained by a questionnaire and a structured interview. The number of fcmbs was assessed in 30 mL blood processed by a proprietary method developed in-house. Fetal cells in the blood, binding to fetal cell specific antibodies, were initially isolated by magnetic cell sorting. The fetal cells...... vs. 4, p=0.06) decreased the number of fcmbs, whereas coitus the evening before increased the number (4 vs. 3, p=0.11). Conclusion: The number of fcmbs is affected by normal activities. This should be taken into account when planning collection of fetal cells in connection for prenatal diagnosis...

  15. Fetal response to maternal hunger and satiation - novel finding from a qualitative descriptive study of maternal perception of fetal movements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bradford, Billie; Maude, Robyn

    2014-08-26

    Maternal perception of decreased fetal movements is a specific indicator of fetal compromise, notably in the context of poor fetal growth. There is currently no agreed numerical definition of decreased fetal movements, with the subjective perception of a decrease on the part of the mother being the most significant definition clinically. Both qualitative and quantitative aspects of fetal activity may be important in identifying the compromised fetus.Yet, how pregnant women perceive and describe fetal activity is under-investigated by qualitative means. The aim of this study was to explore normal fetal activity, through first-hand descriptive accounts by pregnant women. Using qualitative descriptive methodology, interviews were conducted with 19 low-risk women experiencing their first pregnancy, at two timepoints in their third trimester. Interview transcripts were later analysed using qualitative content analysis and patterns of fetal activity identified were then considered along-side the characteristics of the women and their birth outcomes. This paper focuses on a novel finding; the description by pregnant women of fetal behaviour indicative of hunger and satiation. Full findings will be presented in later papers. Most participants (74% 14 of 19) indicated mealtimes were a time of increased fetal activity. Eight participants provided detailed descriptions of increased activity around meals, with seven (37% 7 of 19) of these specifying increased fetal activity prior to meals or in the context of their own hunger. These movements were interpreted as a fetal demand for food often prompting the mother to eat. Interestingly, the women who described increased fetal activity in the context of hunger subsequently gave birth to smaller infants (mean difference 364 gm) than those who did not describe a fetal response to hunger. Food seeking behaviour may have a pre-birth origin. Maternal-fetal interaction around mealtimes could constitute an endocrine mediated

  16. Temporal and spatial performance of vector velocity imaging in the human fetal heart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsui, H; Germanakis, I; Kulinskaya, E; Gardiner, H M

    2011-02-01

    To assess the spatial and temporal performance of fetal myocardial speckle tracking, using high-frame-rate (HFR) storing and Lagrangian strain analysis. Dummy electrocardiographic signaling permitted DICOM HFR in 124 normal fetuses and paired low-frame-rate (LFR) video storing at 25 Hz in 93 of them. Vector velocity imaging (VVI) tracking co-ordinates were used to compare time and spatial domain measures. We compared tracking success, Lagrangian strain, peak diastolic velocity and positive strain rate values in HFR vs. LFR video storing. Further comparisons within an HFR subset included Lagrangian vs. natural strain, VVI vs. M-mode annular displacement, and VVI vs. pulsed-wave tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) peak velocities. HFR (average 79.4 Hz) tracking was more successful than LFR (86 vs. 76%, P = 0.024). Lagrangian and natural HFR strain correlated highly (left ventricle (LV): r = 0.883, P < 0.001; right ventricle (RV): r = 0.792, P < 0.001) but natural strain gave 20% lower values, suggesting reduced reliability of measurement. Lagrangian HFR strain was similar in LV and RV and decreased with gestation (P = 0.015 and P < 0.001, respectively). LV Lagrangian LFR strain was significantly lower than the values for the RV (P < 0.001) and those using paired LV-HFR recordings (P = 0.007). Annular displacement methods correlated highly (LV = 1.046, r = 0.90, P < 0.001; RV = 1.170, r = 0.88, P < 0.001). Early diastolic waves were visible in 95% of TDI, but in only 26% of HFR and 0% of LFR recordings, and HFR-VVI velocities were significantly lower than those for TDI (P < 0.001). Doppler estimation of velocities remains superior to VVI but image gating and use of original co-ordinates should improve offline VVI assessment of fetal myocardial function. Copyright © 2011 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  17. Digital atlas of fetal brain MRI

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chapman, Teresa; Weinberger, E. [Department of Radiology, Seattle Children' s Hospital, Seattle, WA (United States); Matesan, Manuela [University of Washington, Department of Radiology, Seattle, WA (United States); Bulas, Dorothy I. [Division of Diagnostic Imaging and Radiology, Children' s National Medical Center, Washington, DC (United States)

    2010-02-15

    Fetal MRI can be performed in the second and third trimesters. During this time, the fetal brain undergoes profound structural changes. Interpretation of appropriate development might require comparison with normal age-based models. Consultation of a hard-copy atlas is limited by the inability to compare multiple ages simultaneously. To provide images of normal fetal brains from weeks 18 through 37 in a digital format that can be reviewed interactively. This will facilitate recognition of abnormal brain development. T2-W images for the atlas were obtained from fetal MR studies of normal brains scanned for other indications from 2005 to 2007. Images were oriented in standard axial, coronal and sagittal projections, with laterality established by situs. Gestational age was determined by last menstrual period, earliest US measurements and sonogram performed on the same day as the MR. The software program used for viewing the atlas, written in C, permits linked scrolling and resizing the images. Simultaneous comparison of varying gestational ages is permissible. Fetal brain images across gestational ages 18 to 37 weeks are provided as an interactive digital atlas and are available for free download. Improved interpretation of fetal brain abnormalities can be facilitated by the use of digital atlas cataloging of the normal changes throughout fetal development. Here we provide a description of the atlas and a discussion of normal fetal brain development. (orig.)

  18. Digital atlas of fetal brain MRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chapman, Teresa; Weinberger, E.; Matesan, Manuela; Bulas, Dorothy I.

    2010-01-01

    Fetal MRI can be performed in the second and third trimesters. During this time, the fetal brain undergoes profound structural changes. Interpretation of appropriate development might require comparison with normal age-based models. Consultation of a hard-copy atlas is limited by the inability to compare multiple ages simultaneously. To provide images of normal fetal brains from weeks 18 through 37 in a digital format that can be reviewed interactively. This will facilitate recognition of abnormal brain development. T2-W images for the atlas were obtained from fetal MR studies of normal brains scanned for other indications from 2005 to 2007. Images were oriented in standard axial, coronal and sagittal projections, with laterality established by situs. Gestational age was determined by last menstrual period, earliest US measurements and sonogram performed on the same day as the MR. The software program used for viewing the atlas, written in C, permits linked scrolling and resizing the images. Simultaneous comparison of varying gestational ages is permissible. Fetal brain images across gestational ages 18 to 37 weeks are provided as an interactive digital atlas and are available for free download. Improved interpretation of fetal brain abnormalities can be facilitated by the use of digital atlas cataloging of the normal changes throughout fetal development. Here we provide a description of the atlas and a discussion of normal fetal brain development. (orig.)

  19. MRI of the fetal spine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Simon, Erin M. [Departement of Radiology, Children' s Hospital of Philadelphia, PA (United States)

    2004-09-01

    Magnetic resonance imaging of the fetal spine is a vital complement to fetal sonographic examination. Assessing the wide spectrum of spinal dysraphism, as well as spinal neoplasia, allows for more correct prenatal diagnoses, patient care planning, and patient counselling. Proper appraisal of the value of experimental procedures, such as fetal myelomeningocoele repair, requires a high level of diagnostic accuracy for the selection and follow-up of appropriate candidates. (orig.)

  20. MRI of the fetal spine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simon, Erin M.

    2004-01-01

    Magnetic resonance imaging of the fetal spine is a vital complement to fetal sonographic examination. Assessing the wide spectrum of spinal dysraphism, as well as spinal neoplasia, allows for more correct prenatal diagnoses, patient care planning, and patient counselling. Proper appraisal of the value of experimental procedures, such as fetal myelomeningocoele repair, requires a high level of diagnostic accuracy for the selection and follow-up of appropriate candidates. (orig.)

  1. Thrombophilic disorders and fetal loss: a meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rey, Evelyne; Kahn, Susan R; David, Michèle; Shrier, Ian

    2003-03-15

    Our aim was to assess the strength of the controversial association between thrombophilia and fetal loss, and to examine whether it varies according to the timing or definition of fetal loss. We searched Medline and Current Contents for articles published between 1975 and 2002 and their references with terms denoting recurrent fetal and non-recurrent fetal loss combined with various thrombophilic disorders. We included in our meta-analysis case-control, cohort, and cross-sectional studies published in English, the methodological quality of which was rated as moderate or strong. Pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% CI were generated by random effects models with Cochrane Review Manager software. We included 31 studies. Factor V Leiden was associated with early (OR 2.01, 95% CI 1.13-3.58) and late (7.83, 2.83-21.67) recurrent fetal loss, and late non-recurrent fetal loss (3.26, 1.82-5.83). Exclusion of women with other pathologies that could explain fetal loss strengthened the association between Factor V Leiden and recurrent fetal loss. Activated protein C resistance was associated with early recurrent fetal loss (3.48, 1.58-7.69), and prothrombin G20210A mutation with early recurrent (2.56, 1.04-.29) and late non-recurrent (2.30, 1.09-4.87) fetal loss. Protein S deficiency was associated with recurrent fetal loss (14.72, 0.99-218.01) and late non-recurrent fetal loss (7.39, 1.28-42.63). Methylenetetrahydrofolate mutation, protein C, and antithrombin deficiencies were not significantly associated with fetal loss. The magnitude of the association between thrombophilia and fetal loss varies, according to type of fetal loss and type of thrombophilia.

  2. Validation of modified World Health Organization classification for pregnant women with heart disease in a tertiary care center in southern Thailand

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suwanrath C

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Chitkasaem Suwanrath,1 Putthaporn Thongphanang,1 Sutham Pinjaroen,1 Saranyou Suwanugsorn2 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand Purpose: To validate the modified World Health Organization (WHO classification in pregnant women with congenital and acquired heart diseases. Patients and methods: The database of pregnant women with heart disease, who delivered at Songklanagarind Hospital between January 1995 and December 2016, was retrieved from the Statistical Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, along with the Hospital Information System of Songklanagarind Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University. Each patient was retrospectively classified according to the modified WHO classification of maternal cardiovascular risk. Comparison of maternal and fetal outcomes among the modified WHO classes were analyzed using the chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test and one-way ANOVA test. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 331 cases were studied: 157 cases with congenital heart disease and 174 cases with acquired heart disease. There were 48, 173, 32 and 78 cases in the modified WHO class I, II, III and IV, respectively. Congestive heart failure was the most common complication. The overall maternal mortality rate was 3.6%, all of which were in the modified WHO class IV. Maternal cardiovascular events occurred in 24.2% of cases, increasing rates with higher modified WHO class: 4.2%, 15.0%, 25.0% and 56.4% in class I, II, III and IV, respectively (p<0.001. Adverse fetal outcomes including preterm delivery, low birth weight, small for gestational age and neonatal intensive care unit admission were also significantly increased in class III and IV (p<0.05. Conclusion: The modified WHO classification is useful not only for obtaining a cardiovascular risk assessment in pregnant

  3. Fetal MRI: techniques and protocols

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prayer, Daniela; Brugger, Peter Christian; Prayer, Lucas

    2004-01-01

    The development of ultrafast sequences has led to a significant improvement in fetal MRI. Imaging protocols have to be adjusted to the rapidly developing fetal central nervous system (CNS) and to the clinical question. Sequence parameters must be changed to cope with the respective developmental stage, to produce images free from motion artefacts and to provide optimum visualization of the region and focus of interest. In contrast to postnatal studies, every suspect fetal CNS abnormality requires examination of the whole fetus and the extrafetal intrauterine structures including the uterus. This approach covers both aspects of fetal CNS disorders: isolated and complex malformations and cerebral lesions arising from the impaired integrity of the feto-placental unit. (orig.)

  4. Fetal MRI: techniques and protocols

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prayer, Daniela [Department of Neuroradiology, University Clinics of Radiodiagnostics, Medical University Vienna, Waehringerguertel 18-10, 1090, Vienna (Austria); Brugger, Peter Christian [Department of Anatomy, Integrative Morphology Group, Medical University Vienna (Austria); Prayer, Lucas [Diagnosezentrum Urania, Vienna (Austria)

    2004-09-01

    The development of ultrafast sequences has led to a significant improvement in fetal MRI. Imaging protocols have to be adjusted to the rapidly developing fetal central nervous system (CNS) and to the clinical question. Sequence parameters must be changed to cope with the respective developmental stage, to produce images free from motion artefacts and to provide optimum visualization of the region and focus of interest. In contrast to postnatal studies, every suspect fetal CNS abnormality requires examination of the whole fetus and the extrafetal intrauterine structures including the uterus. This approach covers both aspects of fetal CNS disorders: isolated and complex malformations and cerebral lesions arising from the impaired integrity of the feto-placental unit. (orig.)

  5. Left Ventricular Diastolic Function and Characteristics in Fetal Aortic Stenosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friedman, Kevin G.; Schidlow, David; Freud, Lindsay; Escobar-Diaz, Maria; Tworetzky, Wayne

    2014-01-01

    Fetal aortic valvuloplasty (FAV) has shown promise in averting progression of mid-gestation aortic stenosis (AS) to hypoplastic left heart syndrome in a subset of patients. Patients who achieve biventricular circulation after FAV frequently have left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction (DD). This study evaluates DD in fetuses with AS by comparing echocardiographic indices of LV diastolic function in fetuses undergoing FAV (n=20) to controls (n=40) and evaluates for LV factors associated with DD in FAV patients. We also compared pre- and post-FAV DD variables (n=16). Median gestational age (24 weeks, range 18–29 weeks) and fetal heart rate were similar between FAV and controls. Compared to controls, FAV patients had universally abnormal LV diastolic parameters including fused mitral inflow E and A waves (p=0.008), higher E velocity(p<0.001), shorter mitral inflow time (p=0.001), lower LV lateral annulus E′ (p<0.001), septal E′ (p=0.003) and higher E/E′ (p<0.001) than controls. FAV patients had abnormal right ventricular mechanics with higher tricuspid inflow E velocity (p<0.001), and shorter tricuspid inflow time (p=0.03). Worse LV diastolic function (lower LV E′) was associated with higher endocardial fibroelastosis (EFE) grade (r=0.74, p<0.001), large LV volume (r=0.55, p=0.013) and sphericity (r=0.58, P=0.009) and with lower LV pressure by mitral regurgitation jet (r=−0.68, p<0.001). Post-FAV, fewer patients had fused mitral inflow E and A than pre-FAV (p=0.05) and septal E′ was higher (=0.04). In conclusion, fetuses with mid-gestation AS have evidence of marked DD. Worse DD is associated with larger, more spherical LV, with more extensive EFE and lower LV pressure. PMID:24819899

  6. Wnt/β-Catenin Stimulation and Laminins Support Cardiovascular Cell Progenitor Expansion from Human Fetal Cardiac Mesenchymal Stromal Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agneta Månsson-Broberg

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The intrinsic regenerative capacity of human fetal cardiac mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs has not been fully characterized. Here we demonstrate that we can expand cells with characteristics of cardiovascular progenitor cells from the MSC population of human fetal hearts. Cells cultured on cardiac muscle laminin (LN-based substrata in combination with stimulation of the canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway showed increased gene expression of ISL1, OCT4, KDR, and NKX2.5. The majority of cells stained positive for PDGFR-α, ISL1, and NKX2.5, and subpopulations also expressed the progenitor markers TBX18, KDR, c-KIT, and SSEA-1. Upon culture of the cardiac MSCs in differentiation media and on relevant LNs, portions of the cells differentiated into spontaneously beating cardiomyocytes, and endothelial and smooth muscle-like cells. Our protocol for large-scale culture of human fetal cardiac MSCs enables future exploration of the regenerative functions of these cells in the context of myocardial injury in vitro and in vivo.

  7. ILK induces cardiomyogenesis in the human heart.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandra Traister

    Full Text Available Integrin-linked kinase (ILK is a widely conserved serine/threonine kinase that regulates diverse signal transduction pathways implicated in cardiac hypertrophy and contractility. In this study we explored whether experimental overexpression of ILK would up-regulate morphogenesis in the human fetal heart.Primary cultures of human fetal myocardial cells (19-22 weeks gestation yielded scattered aggregates of cardioblasts positive for the early cardiac lineage marker nk × 2.5 and containing nascent sarcomeres. Cardiac cells in colonies uniformly expressed the gap junction protein connexin 43 (C × 43 and displayed a spectrum of differentiation with only a subset of cells exhibiting the late cardiomyogenic marker troponin T (cTnT and evidence of electrical excitability. Adenovirus-mediated overexpression of ILK potently increased the number of new aggregates of primitive cardioblasts (p<0.001. The number of cardioblast colonies was significantly decreased (p<0.05 when ILK expression was knocked down with ILK targeted siRNA. Interestingly, overexpression of the activation resistant ILK mutant (ILK(R211A resulted in much greater increase in the number of new cell aggregates as compared to overexpression of wild-type ILK (ILK(WT. The cardiomyogenic effects of ILK(R211A and ILK(WT were accompanied by concurrent activation of β-catenin (p<0.001 and increase expression of progenitor cell marker islet-1, which was also observed in lysates of transgenic mice with cardiac-specific over-expression of ILK(R211A and ILK(WT. Finally, endogenous ILK expression was shown to increase in concert with those of cardiomyogenic markers during directed cardiomyogenic differentiation in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs.In the human fetal heart ILK activation is instructive to the specification of mesodermal precursor cells towards a cardiomyogenic lineage. Induction of cardiomyogenesis by ILK overexpression bypasses the requirement of proximal PI3K activation for

  8. O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase in human fetal tissues: fetal and maternal factors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    D'Ambrosio, S.M.; Samuel, M.J.; Dutta-Choudhury, T.A.; Wani, A.A.

    1986-01-01

    O 6 -Methylguanine methyltransferase (O 6 -MT) was measured and compared in extracts of 7 human fetal tissues obtained from 21 different fetal specimens as a function of fetal age and race, and maternal smoking and drug usage. Activity was determined from the proteinase-K solubilized radioactivity transferred from the DNA to the O 6 -MT. S9 homogenates were incubated with a heat depurinated [ 3 H]-methylnitrosourea alkylated DNA. Liver exhibited the highest activity followed by kidney, lung, small intestine, large intestine, skin and brain. Each of the tissues exhibited a 3- to 5-fold level of interindividual variation of O 6 -MT. There did not appear to be any significant difference of O 6 -MT in the tissues obtained from mothers who smoked cigarettes during pregnancy. Also, fetal race and age did not appear to account for the level of variation of O 6 -MT. The fetal tissues obtained from an individual using phenobarbital and smoking exhibited 4-fold increases in O 6 -MT activity. The tissues obtained from another individual on kidney dialysis were 2- to 3-fold higher than the normal population. These data suggest that the variation in human O 6 -MT can not be explained by racial or smoking factors, but may be modulated by certain drugs

  9. Predicting intrapartum fetal compromise using the fetal cerebro-umbilical ratio.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sabdia, S; Greer, R M; Prior, T; Kumar, S

    2015-05-01

    The aim of this study was to explore the association between the cerebro-umbilical ratio measured at 35-37 weeks and intrapartum fetal compromise. This retrospective cross sectional study was conducted at the Mater Mothers' Hospital in Brisbane, Australia. Maternal demographics and fetal Doppler indices at 35-37 weeks gestation for 1381 women were correlated with intrapartum and neonatal outcomes. Babies born by caesarean section or instrumental delivery for fetal compromise had the lowest median cerebro-umbilical ratio 1.60 (IQR 1.22-2.08) compared to all other delivery groups (vaginal delivery, emergency delivery for failure to progress, emergency caesarean section for other reasons or elective caesarean section). The percentage of infants with a cerebro-umbilical ratio cerebro-umbilical ratio between the 10th-90th centile and 9.6% of infants with a cerebro-umbilical ratio > 90th centile required delivery for the same indication (p cerebro-umbilical ratio was associated with an increased risk of emergency delivery for fetal compromise, OR 2.03 (95% CI 1.41-2.92), p cerebro-umbilical ratio measured at 35-37 weeks is associated with a greater risk of intrapartum compromise. This is a relatively simple technique which could be used to risk stratify women in diverse healthcare settings. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Fetal MRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prayer, D.; Brugger, P.C.

    2004-01-01

    New, ultrafast sequences have made it possible to obtain MR images of the fetus without maternal sedation or immobilization of the fetus itself. While fetal MRI began as an adjunct to ultrasound, it has now been shown that MRI can provide additional information that may change prognosis, the management of pregnancy, or the treatment of the newborn child. It is of particular value in the assessment of malformations of the central nervous system. The steady development and adaptation of MR-sequences to the needs of fetal imaging has led to new indications that can support prognostic and therapeutic decisions. (orig.)

  11. Fetal MRI

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prayer, D.; Brugger, P.C. [University Hospital of Vienna (Austria). Division of Neuroradiology

    2004-07-01

    New, ultrafast sequences have made it possible to obtain MR images of the fetus without maternal sedation or immobilization of the fetus itself. While fetal MRI began as an adjunct to ultrasound, it has now been shown that MRI can provide additional information that may change prognosis, the management of pregnancy, or the treatment of the newborn child. It is of particular value in the assessment of malformations of the central nervous system. The steady development and adaptation of MR-sequences to the needs of fetal imaging has led to new indications that can support prognostic and therapeutic decisions. (orig.)

  12. Fetal Diagnosis of Abnormal Origin of the Left Pulmonary Artery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tretter, Justin T; Tretter, Eric M; Rafii, Daniela Y; Anderson, Robert H; Bhatla, Puneet

    2016-08-01

    Isolated anomalies of the branch pulmonary arteries are rare, more often occurring in the setting of complex congenital heart disease. These isolated anomalies are often not identified in the prenatal period. We describe two cases of isolated anomalies of the left pulmonary artery which were identified on fetal echocardiography and confirmed postnatally, an anomalous left pulmonary artery arising from the base of the left-sided brachiocephalic artery in the setting of a right-sided aortic arch, and a left pulmonary artery sling. These two cases support our current understanding of normal and abnormal development of the extrapericardial arterial vessels and highlight the importance of meticulous attention when sweeping from the three-vessel tracheal view. © 2016, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Cadmium-induced fetal toxicity in the rat

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levin, A.A.

    1980-01-01

    Cadmium, a heavy metal environment contaminant, induces fetal death and placental necrosis in the Wistar rat. This study investigated fetal, maternal, and placental responses to cadmium intoxication. Subcutaneous injection of CdCl 2 to dams on day 18 of pregnancy produced a high incidence of fetal death (75%) and placental necrosis. Death in the fetus was produced despite limited fetal accumulations of cadmium. Distribution studies using 109 Cd-labeled CdCl 2 demonstrated that less than 0.1% of the injected dose was associated with the fetus. To determine if fetuses were sensitive to these low levels of cadmium, direct injections of CdCl 2 into fetuses were performed in utero. Direct injections produced fetal accumulations 8-fold greater than those following maternal injections. The 8-fold greater fetal accumulations following direct injection were associated with only a 12% fetal mortality compared to the 75% mortality following maternal injections. The data indicated that the fetal toxicity of cadmium following maternal injections was not the result of direct effects of cadmium on the fetus. In conclusion, cadmium-induced fetal death was not the result of direct effects of cadmium on the fetus but may have been induced by placental cellular injury resulting from high accumulations of cadmium in the placenta. A vascular response to placental injury, leading to decreased utero-placental bood flow and cadmium-induced alterations in trophoblastic function, resulted in fetal death

  14. Minimal alteration in the ratio of circulatory fetal DNA to fetal corticotropin-releasing hormone mRNA level in preeclampsia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, Xiao Yan; Holzgreve, Wolfgang; Gebhardt, Stefan; Hillermann, Renate; Tofa, Kashefa Carelse; Gupta, Anurag Kumar; Huppertz, Berthold; Hahn, Sinuhe

    2006-01-01

    We have recently observed that fetal DNA and fetal corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) mRNA are associated with in vitro generated syncytiotrophoblast-derived microparticles, and that the ratio of fetal DNA to mRNA (CRH) varied according to whether the particles were derived by predominantly apoptotic, apo-necrotic or necrotic pathways. Hence, we examined whether these ratios varied in maternal plasma samples taken from normotensive and preeclamptic pregnancies in vivo. Maternal plasma samples were collected from 18 cases with preeclampsia and 29 normotensive term controls. Circulatory fetal CRH mRNA and DNA levels were quantified by real-time PCR and RT-PCR. Circulatory fetal mRNA and fetal DNA levels were significantly elevated in the preeclampsia study group when compared to normotensive controls. Alterations in the fetal mRNA to DNA ratio between the study and control groups were minimal, even when stratified into early (34 weeks of gestation) onset preeclampsia. Our data suggest that although circulatory fetal DNA and mRNA levels are significantly elevated in preeclampsia, the ratios in maternal plasma are not dramatically altered. Copyright 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  15. Prenatal sonographic measurement of the fetal thyroid gland

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ahn, Young Cheol; Kim, Young Hwa; Cho, Won Soo; Bae, Won Kyung; Kim, Il Young [Chunan Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Chunan (Korea, Republic of)

    2001-03-15

    To investigate whether the fetal thyroid gland could be examined by prenatal ultrasonography and to established the normal range of fetal thyroid width according to the gestational age. The width of the fetal thyroid was determined by prenatal ultrasonography from 118 pregnant women. Three of the mothers had current or previous thyroid disease and the widths of the fetal thyroid were determined from 115 normal subjects. The width of the fetal thyroid was defined by a maximum transverse distance of the thyroid gland between two carotid arteries on transverse scan of the fetal neck. We analyzed the cause of non-measurable cases. The width of the fetal thyroid and Neo-TSH were compared in 19 subjects, including 3 subjects will current or previous thyroid disease. We could measure the fetal thyroid widths in 95 cases (80%). The fetal thyroid widths of mothers without current or previous thyroid disease was 0.9-2.36 cm,which showed linear correlation with gestational age (Y=0.0506 X + 0.0439, r{sup 2}=0.5661). Causes of non-measurable cases were neck flexion (65%), prone position (22%), and overlapped fetal neck by arm or shoulder (13%). Of the 19 neonates with Neo-TSH level, one case had a mother with a thyroid disease and showed increased width of the fetal and high Neo-TSH. The fetal thyroid was measured in 80% of prenatal ultrasonography and the width of the fetal thyroid showed linear correlated with gestational age. We assumed that the width of the thyroid could be useful for diagnosing fetal thyroid disorder when maternal thyroid disease exists.

  16. Prenatal sonographic measurement of the fetal thyroid gland

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahn, Young Cheol; Kim, Young Hwa; Cho, Won Soo; Bae, Won Kyung; Kim, Il Young

    2001-01-01

    To investigate whether the fetal thyroid gland could be examined by prenatal ultrasonography and to established the normal range of fetal thyroid width according to the gestational age. The width of the fetal thyroid was determined by prenatal ultrasonography from 118 pregnant women. Three of the mothers had current or previous thyroid disease and the widths of the fetal thyroid were determined from 115 normal subjects. The width of the fetal thyroid was defined by a maximum transverse distance of the thyroid gland between two carotid arteries on transverse scan of the fetal neck. We analyzed the cause of non-measurable cases. The width of the fetal thyroid and Neo-TSH were compared in 19 subjects, including 3 subjects will current or previous thyroid disease. We could measure the fetal thyroid widths in 95 cases (80%). The fetal thyroid widths of mothers without current or previous thyroid disease was 0.9-2.36 cm,which showed linear correlation with gestational age (Y=0.0506 X + 0.0439, r 2 =0.5661). Causes of non-measurable cases were neck flexion (65%), prone position (22%), and overlapped fetal neck by arm or shoulder (13%). Of the 19 neonates with Neo-TSH level, one case had a mother with a thyroid disease and showed increased width of the fetal and high Neo-TSH. The fetal thyroid was measured in 80% of prenatal ultrasonography and the width of the fetal thyroid showed linear correlated with gestational age. We assumed that the width of the thyroid could be useful for diagnosing fetal thyroid disorder when maternal thyroid disease exists.

  17. Fetal ECG extraction via Type-2 adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmadieh, Hajar; Asl, Babak Mohammadzadeh

    2017-04-01

    We proposed a noninvasive method for separating the fetal ECG (FECG) from maternal ECG (MECG) by using Type-2 adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems. The method can extract FECG components from abdominal signal by using one abdominal channel, including maternal and fetal cardiac signals and other environmental noise signals, and one chest channel. The proposed algorithm detects the nonlinear dynamics of the mother's body. So, the components of the MECG are estimated from the abdominal signal. By subtracting estimated mother cardiac signal from abdominal signal, fetal cardiac signal can be extracted. This algorithm was applied on synthetic ECG signals generated based on the models developed by McSharry et al. and Behar et al. and also on DaISy real database. In environments with high uncertainty, our method performs better than the Type-1 fuzzy method. Specifically, in evaluation of the algorithm with the synthetic data based on McSharry model, for input signals with SNR of -5dB, the SNR of the extracted FECG was improved by 38.38% in comparison with the Type-1 fuzzy method. Also, the results show that increasing the uncertainty or decreasing the input SNR leads to increasing the percentage of the improvement in SNR of the extracted FECG. For instance, when the SNR of the input signal decreases to -30dB, our proposed algorithm improves the SNR of the extracted FECG by 71.06% with respect to the Type-1 fuzzy method. The same results were obtained on synthetic data based on Behar model. Our results on real database reflect the success of the proposed method to separate the maternal and fetal heart signals even if their waves overlap in time. Moreover, the proposed algorithm was applied to the simulated fetal ECG with ectopic beats and achieved good results in separating FECG from MECG. The results show the superiority of the proposed Type-2 neuro-fuzzy inference method over the Type-1 neuro-fuzzy inference and the polynomial networks methods, which is due to its

  18. Fetal magnetic resonance imaging and human genetics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hengstschlaeger, Markus

    2006-01-01

    The use of fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in addition to prenatal genetic testing and sonography, has the potential to improve prenatal diagnosis of genetic disorders. MRI plays an important role in the evaluation of fetal abnormalities and malformations. Fetal MRI often enables a differential diagnosis, a determination of the extent of the disorder, the prognosis, and an improvement in therapeutic management. For counseling of parents, as well as to basically understand how genetic aberrations affect fetal development, it is of great importance to correlate different genotypes with fetal MRI data

  19. Fetal magnetic resonance imaging and human genetics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hengstschlaeger, Markus [Medical Genetics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090 Vienna (Austria)]. E-mail: markus.hengstschlaeger@meduniwien.ac.at

    2006-02-15

    The use of fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in addition to prenatal genetic testing and sonography, has the potential to improve prenatal diagnosis of genetic disorders. MRI plays an important role in the evaluation of fetal abnormalities and malformations. Fetal MRI often enables a differential diagnosis, a determination of the extent of the disorder, the prognosis, and an improvement in therapeutic management. For counseling of parents, as well as to basically understand how genetic aberrations affect fetal development, it is of great importance to correlate different genotypes with fetal MRI data.

  20. MR imaging of the fetal brain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Glenn, Orit A.

    2010-01-01

    Fetal MRI is clinically performed to evaluate the brain in cases where an abnormality is detected by prenatal sonography. These most commonly include ventriculomegaly, abnormalities of the corpus callosum, and abnormalities of the posterior fossa. Fetal MRI is also increasingly performed to evaluate fetuses who have normal brain findings on prenatal sonogram but who are at increased risk for neurodevelopmental abnormalities, such as complicated monochorionic twin pregnancies. This paper will briefly discuss the common clinical conditions imaged by fetal MRI as well as recent advances in fetal MRI research. (orig.)

  1. MR imaging of the fetal brain

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Glenn, Orit A. [University of California, San Francisco, Department of Radiology, Neuroradiology Section, San Francisco, CA (United States)

    2010-01-15

    Fetal MRI is clinically performed to evaluate the brain in cases where an abnormality is detected by prenatal sonography. These most commonly include ventriculomegaly, abnormalities of the corpus callosum, and abnormalities of the posterior fossa. Fetal MRI is also increasingly performed to evaluate fetuses who have normal brain findings on prenatal sonogram but who are at increased risk for neurodevelopmental abnormalities, such as complicated monochorionic twin pregnancies. This paper will briefly discuss the common clinical conditions imaged by fetal MRI as well as recent advances in fetal MRI research. (orig.)

  2. Maternal and fetal effects of chocolate consumption during pregnancy: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Latif, Rabia

    2018-03-13

    The purpose of this review is to explore the effects of chocolate consumption during pregnancy on fetus and mother herself. Randomized controlled trials/quasi-experimental/observational/controlled before and after studies involving chocolate/cocoa/cacao consumption (irrespective of type or dose, composition, exposure period, and method of administration) among pregnant women/animals; and measuring any outcome (beneficial or harmful) related to fetus or mother after chocolate exposure were included. Databases searched were PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus; between April and May 2017. Risk of bias within each human randomized controlled trial (RCT) and animals' experimental studies was evaluated by "The Cochrane Collaboration's tool" and SYRCLE's tool respectively. Fourteen human studies including a total of 6639 participants and nine animal studies were selected. Outcome variables investigated in human studies were maternal blood pressure, fetal heart rate, and striae gravidarum. Animal studies explored chocolate-induced teratogenicity and fetal metabolic derangements. Ten out of these 23 studies reported chocolate to be "beneficial"; five studies reported adverse effects, whereas eight studies declared chocolate as "neutral". Maternal chocolate intake has acute stimulatory effects on fetal reactivity and chronic blood pressure reducing effect in mothers. Chocolate is nonteratogenic and does not affect reproductive indices. Metabolic derangements in offsprings born to chocolate fed dams have been reported. Pregnant females must be careful about consumption of cocoa and chocolate. Future studies should be planned, keeping in view heterogeneities identified across the selected studies in this review.

  3. Controversias actuales para definir las alteraciones del bienestar fetal Current controversies to define changes in the fetal wellbeing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Danilo Nápoles Méndez

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Como propuesta de diferentes sociedades científicas se estableció el término estado fetal no tranquilizador en sustitución de sufrimiento fetal, que era considerado inespecífico. Esta revisión bibliográfica se efectuó a fin de exponer a la comunidad médica los diferentes términos con que se definen las alteraciones del bienestar fetal y la influencia que el empleo de las expresiones estado fetal no tranquilizador y riesgo de pérdida del bienestar fetal generan en la práctica de Obstetricia. Asimismo, se puso énfasis en la necesidad de buscar un lenguaje técnico más unificado y se concluyó que la formación de estos términos no determina la correspondencia existente entre la evaluación prenatal del feto y su estado al nacer.As a proposal of different scientific societies the term non reassuring fetal status was coined, substituting it by fetal distress which was considered nonspecific. This literature review was carried out in order to show to the medical community the different terms with which the changes of the fetal wellbeing are defined and the influence that the use of the expressions non reassuring fetal status and the risk of loss of the fetal well-being generate in Obstetrics. Likewise, the necessity of looking for a more unified technical language was emphasized and it was concluded that these terms do not determine the existent correspondence between the prenatal evaluation of the fetus and its status at birth.

  4. Doppler changes as the earliest parameter in fetal surveillance to detect fetal compromise in intrauterine growth-restricted fetuses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bansal Saloni

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. It is estimated that 3-10% of infants are growth restricted. Growth disturbances may have long-term issues. Doppler allows insight into the fetal response to intrauterine stress. Objective. The aim of this study was to detect fetal compromise in intrauterine growth-restricted (IUGR fetuses by means of biophysical profile (BPP vis-а-vis Doppler velocimetry studies of the fetal umbilical artery, and to find out which of the two is a better and earlier predictor of fetal compromise. Methods. A prospective study was conducted on a total of 50 singleton pregnancies with IUGR between 28 and 42 weeks of gestation. Study patients were managed expectantly with nonstress testing and amniotic fluid assessment, BPP and Doppler velocimetry studies of the fetal umbilical artery. Results. Fetal outcome was poor in 5/50 (10% of the fetuses, defined as presence of all of the following: poor Apgar test score, neonatal intensive care unit stay, necrotizing enterocolitis, and low birth weight. Of the four with abnormal BPP, 50% had poor fetal outcomes. Out of 46 with normal BPP, 6.5% had poor fetal outcomes. Conclusion. Inference drawn from the study is that the Doppler technology provides us the opportunity for repetitive noninvasive hemodynamic monitoring in IUGR pregnancies.

  5. MRI of fetal acquired brain lesions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prayer, Daniela; Brugger, Peter C.; Kasprian, Gregor; Witzani, Linde; Helmer, Hanns; Dietrich, Wolfgang; Eppel, Wolfgang; Langer, Martin

    2006-01-01

    Acquired fetal brain damage is suspected in cases of destruction of previously normally formed tissue, the primary cause of which is hypoxia. Fetal brain damage may occur as a consequence of acute or chronic maternal diseases, with acute diseases causing impairment of oxygen delivery to the fetal brain, and chronic diseases interfering with normal, placental development. Infections, metabolic diseases, feto-fetal transfusion syndrome, toxic agents, mechanical traumatic events, iatrogenic accidents, and space-occupying lesions may also qualify as pathologic conditions that initiate intrauterine brain damage. MR manifestations of acute fetal brain injury (such as hemorrhage or acute ischemic lesions) can easily be recognized, as they are hardly different from postnatal lesions. The availability of diffusion-weighted sequences enhances the sensitivity in recognizing acute ischemic lesions. Recent hemorrhages are usually readily depicted on T2 (*) sequences, where they display hypointense signals. Chronic fetal brain injury may be characterized by nonspecific changes that must be attributable to the presence of an acquired cerebral pathology. The workup in suspected acquired fetal brain injury also includes the assessment of extra-CNS organs that may be affected by an underlying pathology. Finally, the placenta, as the organ that mediates oxygen delivery from the maternal circulation to the fetus, must be examined on MR images

  6. MRI of fetal acquired brain lesions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prayer, Daniela [Department of Radiodiagnostics, Medical University of Vienna (Austria)]. E-mail: daniela.prayer@meduniwien.ac.at; Brugger, Peter C. [Center of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Medical University of Vienna (Austria); Kasprian, Gregor [Department of Radiodiagnostics, Medical University of Vienna (Austria); Witzani, Linde [Department of Radiodiagnostics, Medical University of Vienna (Austria); Helmer, Hanns [Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Vienna (Austria); Dietrich, Wolfgang [Department of Neurosurgery, Medical University of Vienna (Austria); Eppel, Wolfgang [Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Vienna (Austria); Langer, Martin [Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Vienna (Austria)

    2006-02-15

    Acquired fetal brain damage is suspected in cases of destruction of previously normally formed tissue, the primary cause of which is hypoxia. Fetal brain damage may occur as a consequence of acute or chronic maternal diseases, with acute diseases causing impairment of oxygen delivery to the fetal brain, and chronic diseases interfering with normal, placental development. Infections, metabolic diseases, feto-fetal transfusion syndrome, toxic agents, mechanical traumatic events, iatrogenic accidents, and space-occupying lesions may also qualify as pathologic conditions that initiate intrauterine brain damage. MR manifestations of acute fetal brain injury (such as hemorrhage or acute ischemic lesions) can easily be recognized, as they are hardly different from postnatal lesions. The availability of diffusion-weighted sequences enhances the sensitivity in recognizing acute ischemic lesions. Recent hemorrhages are usually readily depicted on T2 (*) sequences, where they display hypointense signals. Chronic fetal brain injury may be characterized by nonspecific changes that must be attributable to the presence of an acquired cerebral pathology. The workup in suspected acquired fetal brain injury also includes the assessment of extra-CNS organs that may be affected by an underlying pathology. Finally, the placenta, as the organ that mediates oxygen delivery from the maternal circulation to the fetus, must be examined on MR images.

  7. Placental adaptations to the maternal-fetal environment: implications for fetal growth and developmental programming.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sandovici, Ionel; Hoelle, Katharina; Angiolini, Emily; Constância, Miguel

    2012-07-01

    The placenta is a transient organ found in eutherian mammals that evolved primarily to provide nutrients for the developing fetus. The placenta exchanges a wide array of nutrients, endocrine signals, cytokines and growth factors with the mother and the fetus, thereby regulating intrauterine development. Recent studies show that the placenta is not just a passive organ mediating maternal-fetal exchange. It can adapt its capacity to supply nutrients in response to intrinsic and extrinsic variations in the maternal-fetal environment. These dynamic adaptations are thought to occur to maximize fetal growth and viability at birth in the prevailing conditions in utero. However, some of these adaptations may also affect the development of individual fetal tissues, with patho-physiological consequences long after birth. Here, this review summarizes current knowledge on the causes, possible mechanisms and consequences of placental adaptive responses, with a focus on the regulation of transporter-mediated processes for nutrients. This review also highlights the emerging roles that imprinted genes and epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation may play in placental adaptations to the maternal-fetal environment. Copyright © 2012 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Fetal anatomy revealed with fast MR sequences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levine, D; Hatabu, H; Gaa, J; Atkinson, M W; Edelman, R R

    1996-10-01

    Although all the imaging studies in this pictorial essay were done for maternal rather than fetal indications, fetal anatomy was well visualized. However, when scans are undertaken for fetal indications, fetal motion in between scout views and imaging sequences may make specific image planes difficult to obtain. Of the different techniques described in this review, we preferred the HASTE technique and use it almost exclusively for scanning pregnant patients. The T2-weighting is ideal for delineating fetal organs. Also, the HASTE technique allows images to be obtained in 430 msec, limiting artifacts arising from maternal and fetal motion. MR imaging should play a more important role in evaluating equivocal sonographic cases as fast scanning techniques are more widely used. Obstetric MR imaging no longer will be limited by fetal motion artifacts. When complex anatomy requires definition in a complicated pregnant patient, MR imaging should be considered as a useful adjunct to sonography.

  9. Fetal Primary Cardiac Tumors During Perinatal Period

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shi-Min Yuan

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Fetal primary cardiac tumors are rare, but they may cause complications, which are sometimes life threatening, including arrhythmias, hydrops fetalis, ventricular outflow/inflow obstruction, cardiac failure, and even sudden death. Among fetal primary cardiac tumors, rhabdomyomas are most common, followed by teratomas, fibromas, hemangiomas, and myxomas. Everolimus, a mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor, has been reported to be an effective drug to cause tumor remission in three neonates with multiple cardiac rhabdomyomas. Neonatal cardiac surgery for the resection of primary cardiac tumors found by fetal echocardiography has been reported sporadically. However, open fetal surgery for pericardial teratoma resection, which was performed successfully via a fetal median sternotomy in one case report, could be a promising intervention to rescue these patients with large pericardial effusions. These recent achievements undoubtedly encourage further development in early management of fetal cardiac tumors. Owing to the rarity of fetal primary cardiac tumors, relevant information in terms of prenatal diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis remains to be clarified.

  10. Fetal magnetic resonance imaging: indications, technique, anatomical considerations and a review of fetal abnormalities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ertl-Wagner, Birgit [Department of Radiology, Klinikum Grosshadern, University of Munich, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377 Munich (Germany); Present address: Institute of Clinical Radiology, Klinikum Grosshadern, University of Munich, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377 Munich (Germany); Lienemann, Andreas; Reiser, Maximilian F. [Department of Radiology, Klinikum Grosshadern, University of Munich, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377 Munich (Germany); Strauss, Alexander [Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Klinikum Grosshadern, University of Munich, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377 Munich (Germany)

    2002-08-01

    Fetal MR imaging often poses a diagnostic challenge for the radiologist. Both fetal anatomy and pathology differ decidedly from pediatric and adult MR imaging. While ultrasound remains the method of choice for screening examinations of the fetus, MR imaging is playing an increasingly important role in the detection and classification of malformations not diagnosable by ultrasonography alone. Recently, advances in fast single-shot MR sequences have allowed high-resolution, high-quality imaging of the moving fetus. Preferable sequences to be applied are a true fast imaging steady precession (true-FISP) or a half-Fourier acquired single-shot turbo spin-echo (HASTE) sequence. Premedication is generally no longer required. In all fetal MR imaging, every aspect of fetal anatomy has to be scrutinized. Subsequently, any abnormalities need to be described and classified. A close collaboration with the referring obstetrician is of paramount importance. (orig.)

  11. Perspectives of fetal dystocia in cattle and buffalo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Govind Narayan Purohit

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available We review the causes of fetal dystocia in cows and buffalo. Two fetal causes are distinct fetal oversize and fetal abnormalities. Fetal oversize is common in heifers, cows of beef cattle breeds, prolonged gestations, increased calf birth weight, male calves and perinatal fetal death with resultant emphysema. Fetal abnormalities include monsters, fetal diseases and fetal maldispositions, and it is difficult to deliver such fetuses because of their altered shape. Although monsters are rare in cattle, a large number of monstrosities have been reported in river buffalo; yet also here, overall incidence is low. Diseases of the fetus resulting in dystocia include hydrocephalus, ascites, anasarca and hydrothorax. The most common cause of dystocia in cattle seems to be fetal maldispositions, of which limb flexion and head deviation appear to be the most frequent. We provide a brief description of the management of dystocia from different causes in cattle and buffalo. A case analysis of 192 and 112 dystocia in cattle and buffalo, respectively, at our referral center revealed that dystocia is significantly higher (P<0.05 in first and second parity cows and buffalo, and that dystocia of fetal origin is common in cows (65.62% but less frequent (40.17% in buffalo. In buffalo, the single biggest cause of dystocia was uterine torsion (53.57%. Fetal survival was significantly (P<0.05 higher both in cows and buffalo when delivery was completed within 12 h of second stage of labor.

  12. Prognostic Significance of Preterm Isolated Decreased Fetal Movement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ertuğrul Karahanoğlu

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective: Our aim is to evaluate the prognostic significance of isolated, preterm decreased fetal movement following normal initial full diagnostic workup. Study design: A retrospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary centre. The applied protocol was approved by the Medical Research Ethics Department of the hospital where the research was conducted. Obstetrics outcomes of preterm- and term-decreased fetal movement were compared following an initial, normal diagnostic work up. Evaluated outcomes were birth weight, mode of delivery, stillbirth rate, induction of labour, development of gestational hypertension, small for gestational age and oligohydramnios, polyhydramnios during the follow up period. Result: Obstetric complications related to placental insufficiency develops more frequently for decreased fetal movement in preterm cases with respect to that of in term cases. Following the diagnosis of decreased fetal movement, pregnancy hypertension occurred in 17% of preterm decreased fetal movement cases and in 4.7% of term decreased fetal movement cases. Fetal growth restriction developed in 6.6% of preterm decreased fetal movement and in 2.3% of term decreased fetal movement. Amniotic fluid abnormalities more frequently developed in preterm decreased fetal movement. Conclusion: Following an initial normal diagnostic workup, preterm decreased fetal movement convey a higher risk for the development of pregnancy complications associated with placental insufficiency. The patient should be monitored closely and management protocols must be developed for initial normal diagnostic workups in cases of preterm decreased fetal movement.

  13. Medio ambiente fetal Fetal environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    César Bernardo Ospina Arcila

    1996-04-01

    Full Text Available Con base en el artículo clásico "Monte Everest in utero" se hace un análisis de la situación que afronta el feto con respecto a la disponibilidad de oxígeno; para una mejor comprensión del sufrimiento fetal se revisan los siguientes conceptos: presión barométrica, presión parcial del oxígeno atmosférico, presión parcial del oxígeno inspirado, presión barométrica intranasal, ecuación del gas alveolar y difusión de gases a través de la membrana alvéolo capilar. Based on the classical paper by Eastman "Mount Everest in utero" an analysis is made of the situation faced by the fetus with respect to the availability of oxygen; for a better under. standing of fetal distress the following concepts are reviewed: barometric pressure, partial pressure of atmosferic oxygen, partial pressure of inspired oxygen, barometric intranasal pressure, alveolar gas equation and gas diffusion through alveolo-capilar membrane.

  14. Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training versus Continuous Training on Physical Fitness, Cardiovascular Function and Quality of Life in Heart Failure Patients.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Benda, N.M.M.; Seeger, J.P.; Stevens, G.G.; Hijmans-Kersten, B.T.P.; Dijk, A.P.J. van; Bellersen, L.; Lamfers, E.J.; Hopman, M.T.E.; Thijssen, D.H.J.

    2015-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: Physical fitness is an important prognostic factor in heart failure (HF). To improve fitness, different types of exercise have been explored, with recent focus on high-intensity interval training (HIT). We comprehensively compared effects of HIT versus continuous training (CT) in HF

  15. Repercussão da monitorização fetal intraparto sobre os índices de operação cesariana Impact of intrapartum fetal monitoring on cesarean section rates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edson N. Morais

    1998-03-01

    Full Text Available A monitorização fetal eletrônica (MFE tem sido o método mais amplamente utilizado para a vigilância fetal direta, especialmente durante o trabalho de parto. Na tentativa de elucidar o efeito da MFE sobre os índices de cesárea (IC, um estudo retrospectivo foi realizado no Hospital Universitário de Santa Maria (HUSM. Estudamos dois grupos de pacientes perfazendo um total de 2.114 gestantes: um grupo (n=517 com MFE e outro (n=1.597 com ausculta intermitente (AI. No grupo MFE observamos um IC de 38,0%, contra 27,2% do grupo AI. Para todas as pacientes, o IC foi de 29,9%. O sofrimento fetal agudo foi a indicação mais comum de cesárea no grupo MFE (40,6%, ao passo que a cesárea prévia foi a terceira causa (10,1%. No grupo AI, o sofrimento fetal foi a terceira causa de cesárea (14,3%, ao passo que a cesárea prévia foi a indicação mais comum (32,4%. Baseados no presente estudo, acreditamos que a MFE não tem efeito, por si só, sobre as taxas de cesárea, se considerados todos os nascimentos no HUSM. Com uma educação adequada dos obstetras e uma correta interpretação dos traçados, a MFE não aumenta os índices de cesárea, ao contrário permite mais acuracidade na descrição das condições fetais intraparto.Electronic fetal heart rate monitoring (EFM is the most widely used method of direct fetal surveillance especially during labor. In an attempt to elucidate the effect of EFM on cesarean section (CS rates, a retrospective study was performed at the University Hospital of Santa Maria (HUSM. We studied two groups of patients, consisting of 2114 pregnant women: EFM group (n=517 and intermittent auscultation (IA group (n=1597. In the EFM group we observed 38.0% of CS vs. 27.2% in the IA group. For all patients, the CS rate was 29.9%. Fetal distress was the most common indication for CS in the EFM group (40.6%, while previous CS was the third cause (10.1%. On the IA group, fetal distress was the third cause in CS (14.3%, while

  16. [Guaranteeing fetal well-being in water childbirth: is it possible?].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dodero, D; Caporale, E; Cardamone, C; Corticelli, A; Messuti, G; Francescangeli, U; Sirito, R

    2000-01-01

    The criteria, which a modern obstetric department is based on, are to deliver serenely and naturally according to the mother's personal exigencies and preserving the child's right to his/her own safety. The attempt to offer the woman a natural place with respect for these principles has improved the knowledge about the physiologic changes of the female organism during labour and water birth. Our experience about water birth began on 1st of July 2000, the day of the inauguration of the new birth room of the maternal-infantile department of the hospital of Lavagna. We nursed 15 women during labour and water birth, 11 were multiparas, 4 were primiparas, the average age was 31-year-old. We used the existing criteria of maternal and fetal selection for the care of physiologic water birth with a low risk. Particularly, the fetal heart rate was monitored at least for 30 minutes before the immersion into water and then at scheduled intervals during labour. To this purpose we used a cardiotocograph provided with an ultrasound probe (with high density of crystals) and with a toco (with high sensitivity), both waterproof and wireless. In our sample the episiotomy was not performed and 3rd degree lacerations did not happen. The neonatal average weight was 3100 gr for the primiparas and 3040 gr for the multiparas, respectively. The Apgar measurement was never lower than 8. The average time of labour was 6 hours for the group of the primiparas and 4.25 hours for the multiparas, respectively. In conclusion the monitoring of fetal welfare during water labour does not substantially differ from the monitoring of traditional labour, but it requires specific equipments.

  17. The Use of Fetal Noninvasive Electrocardiography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Igor Lakhno

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Preeclampsia (PE is one of the severe complications of pregnancy that leads to fetal deterioration. The aim was to survey the validity of fetal distress diagnostics in case of Doppler ultrasonic umbilical vein and arteries blood flow velocity investigation and ECG parameters analysis obtained from maternal abdominal signal before labor in preeclamptic patients. Fetal noninvasive ECG and umbilical arterial and venous Doppler investigation were performed in 120 patients at 34–40 weeks of gestation. And 30 of them had physiological gestation and were involved in Group I. In Group II 52 pregnant women with mild-moderate PE were observed. 38 patients with severe PE were monitored in Group III. The most considerable negative correlation was determined in pair Apgar score 1 versus T/QRS (R=-0.50; p<0.05. So the increased T/QRS ratio was the most evident marker of fetal distress. Fetal noninvasive ECG showed sensitivity of 96.6% and specificity of 98.4% and, therefore, was determined as more accurate method for fetal monitoring.

  18. Maternal feeding controls fetal biological clock.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hidenobu Ohta

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: It is widely accepted that circadian physiological rhythms of the fetus are affected by oscillators in the maternal brain that are coupled to the environmental light-dark (LD cycle. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To study the link between fetal and maternal biological clocks, we investigated the effects of cycles of maternal food availability on the rhythms of Per1 gene expression in the fetal suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN and liver using a transgenic rat model whose tissues express luciferase in vitro. Although the maternal SCN remained phase-locked to the LD cycle, maternal restricted feeding phase-advanced the fetal SCN and liver by 5 and 7 hours respectively within the 22-day pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results demonstrate that maternal feeding entrains the fetal SCN and liver independently of both the maternal SCN and the LD cycle. This indicates that maternal-feeding signals can be more influential for the fetal SCN and particular organ oscillators than hormonal signals controlled by the maternal SCN, suggesting the importance of a regular maternal feeding schedule for appropriate fetal molecular clockwork during pregnancy.

  19. Maternal-Fetal Cancer Risk Assessment of Ochratoxin A during Pregnancy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chit Shing Jackson Woo

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Increasing evidence has demonstrated that in utero exposure to environmental chemicals may interfere with fetal development and increase the risk of disease and cancer development later in life. Ochratoxin A (OTA has been proven to induce diverse toxic effects including teratogenicity, carcinogenicity, immunotoxicity and potential endocrine disruption. Due to the continuous and widespread occurrence of OTA as a potential contaminant of staple foods, there is increasing concern of in utero exposure of fetus to this mycotoxin. In this study, maternal-fetal risk assessment of OTA during pregnancy was conducted using the benchmark dose approach for genotoxic carcinogens. The daily intake of OTA for Egyptian pregnant women was estimated based on their serum OTA level using the refined Klaassen equation for pregnancy. Fetal exposure level was also estimated based on the maternal data. Comparison between the estimated daily exposure and the negligible cancer risk intake (NCRI, and the calculation of margin of exposure (MOE implicated that OTA exposure from dietary intake would be of low health concern for this general subpopulation of Egyptian women. This subpopulation of pregnant women was generally estimated not to be in high-risk for toxicity induced by OTA.

  20. Ultrasonographic determination of fetal gender

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Il Young; Kim, Dae Ho; Lee, Byung Ho; Bae, Dong Han

    1985-01-01

    Sonographic determination of fetal gender was attempted prospectively in most pregnancies of more than 26 weeks. We studied 193 cases of pregnancies with ultrasound for recent 9 months from June 1984 to February 1985 at department of radiology, Soonchunhyang university, Soonchunhyang Chunan hospital, and analysed ultrasonographic finding of fetal gender. The results were as follows; 1. Overall accuracy rate for fetal gender is 90%. 2. Accuracy rate for male fetus is 97.8%. 3. Accuracy rate for female fetus is 88.2%

  1. Ultrasonic prediction of fetal mass

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    1983-02-19

    Feb 19, 1983 ... Summary. A clinically accurate method for estimating fetal. mass from fetal body parameters is reviewed. The abdominal circumference is first calculated from ... reliable clinical parameter is the impression of uterine volume,.

  2. Fetal microchimeric cells in autoimmune thyroid diseases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lepez, Trees; Vandewoestyne, Mado; Deforce, Dieter

    2013-01-01

    Autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) show a female predominance, with an increased incidence in the years following parturition. Fetal microchimerism has been suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of AITD. However, only the presence of fetal microchimeric cells in blood and in the thyroid gland of these patients has been proven, but not an actual active role in AITD. Is fetal microchimerism harmful for the thyroid gland by initiating a Graft versus Host reaction (GvHR) or being the target of a Host versus Graft reaction (HvGR)? Is fetal microchimerism beneficial for the thyroid gland by being a part of tissue repair or are fetal cells just innocent bystanders in the process of autoimmunity? This review explores every hypothesis concerning the role of fetal microchimerism in AITD. PMID:23723083

  3. Critical Imperative for the Reform of British Interpretation of Fetal Heart Rate Decelerations: Analysis of FIGO and NICE Guidelines, Post-Truth Foundations, Cognitive Fallacies, Myths and Occam's Razor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sholapurkar, Shashikant L

    2017-04-01

    Cardiotocography (CTG) has disappointingly failed to show good predictability for fetal acidemia or neonatal outcomes in several large studies. A complete rethink of CTG interpretation will not be out of place. Fetal heart rate (FHR) decelerations are the most common deviations, benign as well as manifestation of impending fetal hypoxemia/acidemia, much more commonly than FHR baseline or variability. Their specific nomenclature is important (center-stage) because it provides the basic concepts and framework on which the complex "pattern recognition" of CTG interpretation by clinicians depends. Unfortunately, the discrimination of FHR decelerations seems to be muddled since the British obstetrics adopted the concept of vast majority of FHR decelerations being "variable" (cord-compression). With proliferation of confusing waveform criteria, "atypical variables" became the commonest cause of suspicious/pathological CTG. However, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (2014) had to disband the "typical" and "atypical" terminology because of flawed classifying criteria. This analytical review makes a strong case that there are major and fundamental framing and confirmation fallacies (not just biases) in interpretation of FHR decelerations by NICE (2014) and International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) (2015), probably the biggest in modern medicine. This "post-truth" approach is incompatible with scientific practice. Moreover, it amounts to setting oneself for failure. The inertia to change could be best described as "backfire effect". There is abundant evidence that head-compression (and other non-hypoxic mediators) causes rapid rather than shallow/gradual decelerations. Currently, the vast majority of decelerations are attributed to unproven cord compression underpinned by flawed disproven pathophysiological hypotheses. Their further discrimination based on abstract, random, trial and error criteria remains unresolved suggesting a

  4. A guide for identification and continuing care of adult congenital heart disease patients in primary care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellison, S; Lamb, J; Haines, A; O'Dell, S; Thomas, G; Sethi, S; Ratcliffe, J; Chisholm, S; Vaughan, J; Mahadevan, V S

    2013-03-10

    Surgical and other advances in the treatment and care of congenital heart disease have resulted in a significant increase in the number of adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD), many of whom have no regular cardiology follow-up. Optimised care for ACHD patients requires continuity of specialist and shared care and education of practitioners and patients. The challenges for managing ACHD were identified by a Health Needs Assessment in the North West and are addressed within the UK Department of Health's ACHD Commissioning Guide. An ACHD model of care was recommended in the North West of England and developed by the three North West Cardiac & Stroke Networks. Within this, a Task Group focused on the role of primary care in the identification and continuing care of ACHD patients. A feasibility study demonstrated that existing diagnostic Read Codes can identify ACHD patients on general practice registers. An ACHD Toolkit was developed to provide algorithms to guide the appropriate management of ACHD patients through primary, secondary and/or specialist ACHD care and to improve education/knowledge amongst primary care staff about ACHD and its wider implications. Early findings during the development of this Toolkit illustrate a wide disparity of provision between current and optimal management strategies. Patients lost to follow-up have already been identified and their management modified. By focusing on identifying ACHD patients in primary care and organising/delivering ACHD services, the ACHD Toolkit could help to improve quality, timeliness of care, patient experience and wellbeing. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Indications and technique of fetal magnetic resonance imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asenbaum, U.; Woitek, R.; Furtner, J.; Prayer, D.; Brugger, P.C.

    2013-01-01

    Evaluation and confirmation of fetal pathologies previously suspected or diagnosed with ultrasound. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Technique for prenatal fetal examination. Fetal MRI is an established supplementary technique to prenatal ultrasound. Fetal MRI should only be used as an additional method in prenatal diagnostics and not for routine screening. Fetal MRI should only be performed in perinatal medicine centers after a previous level III ultrasound examination. (orig.) [de

  6. Can the anterior-posterior thigh diameter be used as an indicator for fetal age using two-dimensional sonography?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ismail, Saad Ramzi

    2008-01-01

    This study evaluated the usefulness and direct correlation of a simple new method of predicting fetal age by measurement of the anterior-posterior thigh diameter (APTD) in a normal 18 to 28 week pregnancies using two-dimensional sonography. Little published research exists in the area of fetal thigh biometry, specifically in the use of the anterior-posterior fetal thigh diameter (APTD). The only study I found was that of fetal thigh circumference. Continuing review of existing practices needs to be coupled with evaluation of alternate or additional methodology. Materials and methods: This was a quantitative prospective study of 55 patients in High Level General Hospital, Alberta, Canada. Anterior-posterior thigh diameters (APTD) were sonographically measured. The normal range for each week of pregnancy was determined five times for reliability. Results: Significant correlation was found between (APTD) and fetal age from simple line regression analysis, with 99.993% confidence intervals at each week from 18 to 28 weeks gestation. There was a correlation of 1 mm APTD per 1 week of fetal age. In addition R > 0.93, P < 0.001. The residual scatter plots confirmed the APTD validity. Conclusion: APTD is a reliable and valid method for assessing fetal age in a normal pregnancy and may be particularly useful when other parameters are unable to accurately predict fetal age. An accurate linear measurement of multiple fetal parameters allows a more complete profile of fetal growth and estimated date of delivery (EDD). APTD may also be useful in identifying fetal growth problems. All of the values of fetal age lie directly on the 'best-fit' regression line. Since the coefficient of determination (Rsq) is very high, this model is very effective

  7. Type I interferons instigate fetal demise after Zika virus infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yockey, Laura J; Jurado, Kellie A; Arora, Nitin; Millet, Alon; Rakib, Tasfia; Milano, Kristin M; Hastings, Andrew K; Fikrig, Erol; Kong, Yong; Horvath, Tamas L; Weatherbee, Scott; Kliman, Harvey J; Coyne, Carolyn B; Iwasaki, Akiko

    2018-01-05

    Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy is associated with adverse fetal outcomes, including microcephaly, growth restriction, and fetal demise. Type I interferons (IFNs) are essential for host resistance against ZIKV, and IFN-α/β receptor (IFNAR)-deficient mice are highly susceptible to ZIKV infection. Severe fetal growth restriction with placental damage and fetal resorption is observed after ZIKV infection of type I IFN receptor knockout ( Ifnar1 -/- ) dams mated with wild-type sires, resulting in fetuses with functional type I IFN signaling. The role of type I IFNs in limiting or mediating ZIKV disease within this congenital infection model remains unknown. In this study, we challenged Ifnar1 -/- dams mated with Ifnar1 +/- sires with ZIKV. This breeding scheme enabled us to examine pregnant dams that carry a mixture of fetuses that express ( Ifnar1 +/- ) or do not express IFNAR ( Ifnar1 -/- ) within the same uterus. Virus replicated to a higher titer in the placenta of Ifnar1 -/- than within the Ifnar1 +/- concepti. Yet, rather unexpectedly, we found that only Ifnar1 +/- fetuses were resorbed after ZIKV infection during early pregnancy, whereas their Ifnar1 -/- littermates continue to develop. Analyses of the fetus and placenta revealed that, after ZIKV infection, IFNAR signaling in the conceptus inhibits development of the placental labyrinth, resulting in abnormal architecture of the maternal-fetal barrier. Exposure of midgestation human chorionic villous explants to type I IFN, but not type III IFNs, altered placental morphology and induced cytoskeletal rearrangements within the villous core. Our results implicate type I IFNs as a possible mediator of pregnancy complications, including spontaneous abortions and growth restriction, in the context of congenital viral infections. Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

  8. MRI of the fetal abdomen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoermann, M.; Brugger, P.C.; Witzani, L.; Prayer, D.

    2006-01-01

    Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important diagnostic component for central nervous system and thoracic diseases during fetal development. Although ultrasound remains the method of choice for observing the fetus during pregnancy, fetal MRI is being increasingly used as an additional technique for the accurate diagnosis of abdominal diseases. Recent publications confirm the value of MRI in the diagnosis of fetal gastrointestinal tract and urogenital system diseases. The following report provides an overview of MRI-examination techniques for the most frequent diseases of the abdomen. (orig.) [de

  9. A placenta clinic approach to the diagnosis and management of fetal growth restriction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kingdom, John C; Audette, Melanie C; Hobson, Sebastian R; Windrim, Rory C; Morgen, Eric

    2018-02-01

    Effective detection and management of fetal growth restriction is relevant to all obstetric care providers. Models of best practice to care for these patients and their families continue to evolve. Since much of the disease burden in fetal growth restriction originates in the placenta, the concept of a multidisciplinary placenta clinic program, managed primarily within a maternal-fetal medicine division, has gained popularity. In this context, fetal growth restriction is merely one of many placenta-related disorders that can benefit from an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating expertise from specialist perinatal ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging, reproductive genetics, neonatal pediatrics, internal medicine subspecialties, perinatal pathology, and nursing. The accurate diagnosis and prognosis for women with fetal growth restriction is established by comprehensive clinical review and detailed sonographic evaluation of the fetus, combined with uterine artery Doppler and morphologic assessment of the placenta. Diagnostic accuracy for placenta-mediated fetal growth restriction may be enhanced by quantification of maternal serum biomarkers including placenta growth factor alone or combined with soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1. Uterine artery Doppler is typically abnormal in most instances of early-onset fetal growth restriction and is associated with coexistent preeclampsia and underlying maternal vascular malperfusion pathology of the placenta. By contrast, rare but potentially more serious underlying placental diagnoses, such as massive perivillous fibrinoid deposition, chronic histiocytic intervillositis, or fetal thrombotic vasculopathy, may be associated with normal uterine artery Doppler waveforms. Despite minor variations in placental size, shape, and cord insertion, placental function remains, largely normal in the general population. Consequently, morphologic assessment of the placenta is not currently incorporated into current screening

  10. Prenatal detection of congenital heart disease in a low risk population undergoing first and second trimester screening

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Ditte E S; Vejlstrup, Niels; Jørgensen, Connie

    2015-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: The prenatal detection rate of congenital heart disease (CHD) is low compared with other fetal malformations. Our aim was to evaluate the prenatal detection of CHD in Eastern Denmark. METHODS: Fetuses and infants diagnosed with CHD in the period 01.01.2008-31.12.2010 were assessed...

  11. Are there long-term benefits in following stable heart failure patients in a heart failure clinic?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Leetmaa, Tina; Villadsen, Henrik; Mikkelsen, Kirsten

    2008-01-01

    Objectives and Design. This study describes the long-term outcome of 163 patients with stable mild to moderate heart failure (NYHA II-III), who already were enrolled in a heart failure clinic and now were randomized to continued follow-up in the heart failure (HF) clinic or else to usual care (UC...

  12. Fetal programming of renal function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dötsch, Jörg; Plank, Christian; Amann, Kerstin

    2012-04-01

    Results from large epidemiological studies suggest a clear relation between low birth weight and adverse renal outcome evident as early as during childhood. Such adverse outcomes may include glomerular disease, hypertension, and renal failure and contribute to a phenomenon called fetal programming. Other factors potentially leading to an adverse renal outcome following fetal programming are maternal diabetes mellitus, smoking, salt overload, and use of glucocorticoids during pregnancy. However, clinical data on the latter are scarce. Here, we discuss potential underlying mechanisms of fetal programming, including reduced nephron number via diminished nephrogenesis and other renal (e.g., via the intrarenal renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system) and non-renal (e.g., changes in endothelial function) alterations. It appears likely that the outcomes of fetal programming may be influenced or modified postnatally, for example, by the amount of nutrients given at critical times.

  13. [Heart failure as early manifestation of neonatal hyperthyroidism. Case report].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alvarado S, Jorge Luis; Fernández V, Zhirly Andrea

    2014-04-01

    Neonatal hyperthyroidism is usually a self-limited condition frequently associated with transplacental passage of thyroid stimulating antibodies secondary to maternal autoimmune disorders. To timely detect mothers with this medical antecedents decreases the risk for fetal adverse events. To report a case of neonatal hyperthyroidism associated with intrauterine growth restriction and heart failure. A 36 week-old newborn with birth weight of 1,240 g. Symptoms were tachycardia, distal coldness, exophthalmos, hepatomegaly and tremors. Echocardiogram ruled out structural heart disorders. Due to maternal symptoms suggestive of hyperthyroidism, TSH tests were performed showing 0.01 ulU/ml, free T4 7.7 ng/dl, so the diagnosis of neonatal hyperthyroidism was confirmed. It was treated with methimazole and propanol, alleviating the symptoms and decreasing the levels of free T4. To know the maternal history helps identify and manage neonatal complications of hyperthyroidism. Heart failure and other cardiopulmonary disorders are determinants of mortality during early neonatal period. High-risk newborns should receive follow up assessments.

  14. Putting intelligent structured intermittent auscultation (ISIA) into practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maude, Robyn M; Skinner, Joan P; Foureur, Maralyn J

    2016-06-01

    Fetal monitoring guidelines recommend intermittent auscultation for the monitoring of fetal wellbeing during labour for low-risk women. However, these guidelines are not being translated into practice and low-risk women birthing in institutional maternity units are increasingly exposed to continuous cardiotocographic monitoring, both on admission to hospital and during labour. When continuous fetal monitoring becomes routinised, midwives and obstetricians lose practical skills around intermittent auscultation. To support clinical practice and decision-making around auscultation modality, the intelligent structured intermittent auscultation (ISIA) framework was developed. The purpose of this discussion paper is to describe the application of intelligent structured intermittent auscultation in practice. The intelligent structured intermittent auscultation decision-making framework is a knowledge translation tool that supports the implementation of evidence into practice around the use of intermittent auscultation for fetal heart monitoring for low-risk women during labour. An understanding of the physiology of the materno-utero-placental unit and control of the fetal heart underpin the development of the framework. Intelligent structured intermittent auscultation provides midwives with a robust means of demonstrating their critical thinking and clinical reasoning and supports their understanding of normal physiological birth. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  15. Efeitos da estimulação vibro-acústica na velocidade do sangue da artéria cerebral média e na freqüência cardíaca fetal: 1. entre a 35ª e 41ª semanas de gestação The effect of vibratory acoustic stimulation on fetal middle cerebral artery impedance and instantaneous fetal heart rate: 1. a transversal study on fetuses with 35 to 41 weeks of gestational age

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ivo Behle

    1999-01-01

    Full Text Available RESUMO Objetivos: estudar, em fetos hígidos, quais são as respostas da freqüência cardíaca fetal basal e da resistência na artéria cerebral média à estimulação vibro-acústica padronizada. Métodos: em estado comportamental de hipo ou de inatividade fetal (apnéia e ausência de movimentos corpóreos, mediu-se o índice de pulsatilidade (IP da artéria cerebral média (ACM, bem como calculou-se a freqüência cardíaca fetal basal (FCFB pela análise da onda espectral, antes e após a aplicação de estímulo vibro-acústico (EVA por 3 segundos. Foram empregados ecógrafos de alta resolução, com Doppler pulsado e mapeamento a cores. A fonte sonora emitia som com 400 a 40.000 Hz, sob forma de varredura, com pressão sonora de 65 a 110 dB. Resultados: a média da FCFB pré-estímulo foi 139 bpm, com desvio padrão de 3,14 bpm. A média da FCFB pós-estímulo foi 153 bpm, com desvio padrão de 7,23 bpm (pSUMMARY Purpose: to examine the response of the fetal heart rate (FHR and middle cerebral artery resistance (MCA PI to vibratory stimulation (VAS in normal human fetuses. Methods: when the fetuses were without activity (in apnea and without corporal movements, we obtained baseline measurements of MCA PI and FHR before and after the application of a 3-sec vibratory acoustic stimulus. Real time ultrasonography with pulsed wave and color Doppler imaging was used for the execution of the study. The VAS was performed using a bicycle horn with 400 to 4000 Hz and sound pressure was 65 to 110 dB. Results: the FHR before VAS was 139 ± 3.14 bpm and after VAS was 153 ± 7.23 bpm (p<0.0001. The MCA PI rate before VAS was 1.84 ± 0.07 and after VAS was 1.56 ± 0.04 (p<0.001. In all cases we observed a fetal response with vigorous corporal movements, FHR rise and MCA PI reduction after VAS. Conclusions: we conclude that VAS, in human fetuses near term, for 3 sec as described in this study, determines some response, with increase in FHR and corporal

  16. Prevention of fetal demise and growth restriction in a mouse model of fetal alcohol syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spong, C Y; Abebe, D T; Gozes, I; Brenneman, D E; Hill, J M

    2001-05-01

    Two peptides [NAPVSIPQ (NAP) and SALLRSIPA (ADNF-9)], that are associated with novel glial proteins regulated by vasoactive intestinal peptide, are shown now to provide protective intervention in a model of fetal alcohol syndrome. Fetal demise and growth restrictions were produced after intraperitoneal injection of ethanol to pregnant mice during midgestation (E8). Death and growth abnormalities elicited by alcohol treatment during development are believed to be associated, in part, with severe oxidative damage. NAP and ADNF-9 have been shown to exhibit antioxidative and antiapoptotic actions in vitro. Pretreatment with an equimolar combination of the peptides prevented the alcohol-induced fetal death and growth abnormalities. Pretreatment with NAP alone resulted in a significant decrease in alcohol-associated fetal death; whereas ADNF-9 alone had no detectable effect on fetal survival after alcohol exposure, indicating a pharmacological distinction between the peptides. Biochemical assessment of the fetuses indicated that the combination peptide treatment prevented the alcohol-induced decreases in reduced glutathione. Peptide efficacy was evident with either 30-min pretreatment or with 1-h post-alcohol administration. Bioavailability studies with [(3)H]NAPVSIPQ indicated that 39% of the total radioactivity comigrated with intact peptide in the fetus 60 min after administration. These studies demonstrate that fetal death and growth restriction associated with prenatal alcohol exposure were prevented by combinatorial peptide treatment and suggest that this therapeutic strategy be explored in other models/diseases associated with oxidative stress.

  17. Low-complexity R-peak detection in ECG signals: a preliminary step towards ambulatory fetal monitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rooijakkers, Michiel; Rabotti, Chiara; Bennebroek, Martijn; van Meerbergen, Jef; Mischi, Massimo

    2011-01-01

    Non-invasive fetal health monitoring during pregnancy has become increasingly important. Recent advances in signal processing technology have enabled fetal monitoring during pregnancy, using abdominal ECG recordings. Ubiquitous ambulatory monitoring for continuous fetal health measurement is however still unfeasible due to the computational complexity of noise robust solutions. In this paper an ECG R-peak detection algorithm for ambulatory R-peak detection is proposed, as part of a fetal ECG detection algorithm. The proposed algorithm is optimized to reduce computational complexity, while increasing the R-peak detection quality compared to existing R-peak detection schemes. Validation of the algorithm is performed on two manually annotated datasets, the MIT/BIH Arrhythmia database and an in-house abdominal database. Both R-peak detection quality and computational complexity are compared to state-of-the-art algorithms as described in the literature. With a detection error rate of 0.22% and 0.12% on the MIT/BIH Arrhythmia and in-house databases, respectively, the quality of the proposed algorithm is comparable to the best state-of-the-art algorithms, at a reduced computational complexity.

  18. Percutaneously Inject able Fetal Pacemaker: Electrodes, Mechanical Design and Implantation*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Li; Chmait, Ramen; Bar-Cohen, Yaniv; Peck, Raymond A.; Loeb, Gerald E.

    2015-01-01

    We are developing a self-contained cardiac pacemaker with a small, cylindrical shape (~3×20mm) that permits it to be implanted percutaneously into a fetus to treat complete heart block and consequent hydrops fetalis, which is otherwise fatal. The device uses off-the-shelf components including a rechargeable lithium cell and a highly efficient relaxation oscillator encapsulated in epoxy and glass. A corkscrew electrode made from activated iridium can be screwed into the myocardium, followed by release of the pacemaker and a short, flexible lead entirely within the chest of the fetus to avoid dislodgement from fetal movement. The feasibility of implanting the device percutaneously under ultrasonic imaging guidance was demonstrated in acute adult rabbit experiments. PMID:23367442

  19. Prenatal effects of maternal consumption of polyphenol-rich foods in late pregnancy upon fetal ductus arteriosus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zielinsky, Paulo; Busato, Stefano

    2013-12-01

    Fetal circulation has characteristic features, being morphologically and functionally different from extrauterine circulation. The ductus arteriosus plays a fundamental role in directing the blood flow to fetal inferior body parts. Basically, the ductus arteriosus directs 80-85% of the right ventricular output arising from the superior vena cava, coronary sinus, and a small part from the inferior vena cava to descending aorta. Its histological structure is made up predominantly by a thick muscular layer, differently from the aorta and the pulmonary artery, which increases with gestational age. The fibers have a circumferential orientation, especially at the external layers, facilitating and making effective ductal constriction. These factors may generate lumen alterations which may cause fetal and neonatal complications, such as heart failure, hydrops, neonatal pulmonary hypertension, and even death. Classically, maternal administration of indomethacin and/or other antiinflammatory drugs interfere in prostaglandins metabolism, causing ductal constriction. However, many cases of fetal ductal constriction, as well as of persistent neonatal pulmonary artery hypertension, remain without an established etiology, being referred as "idiopathic." In recent years, a growing body of evidence has shown that herbs, fruits, nuts, and a wide diversity of substances commonly used in daily diets have definitive effects upon the metabolic pathway of inflammation, with consequent inhibition of prostaglandins synthesis. This antiinflammatory action, especially of polyphenols, when ingested during the third trimester of pregnancy, may influence the dynamics of fetal ductus arteriosus flow. The goal of this review is to present these new observations and findings, which may influence dietary orientation during pregnancy. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercialNoDerivs License, which

  20. First Trimester Fetal Gender Assignment by Ultrasound

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sabahattin Altunyurt

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To investigate the efficiency of genital tubercule angle on detecting fetal gender in first trimester by ultrasonography. Material-Method: Fetal sex assignment by ultrasound was carried out in 172 pregnancies at 11-13+6 weeks between 2007 June and 2007 December. Gestational age was determined by the measurement of crown-rump length (CRL. The ultrasound predictions were compared with actual sex at birth. Mid-sagittal planes of a section of the fetal genital tubercle were performed to identify the gender. Results: 155 of 172 patients’ data were achieved. The overall success rate was 92.3 % in sonographic assignment of fetal sex. The correct assignment rate in female fetuses was significantly higher than males (95.9 % - 88.8 % [p=0,001]. The correct identification of fetal sex improved with advancing gestational age from 89.3 % between 11-11+6 weeks, 92.5 % between 12-12+6 weeks and 93.4 % between 13-13+6 weeks (p=0,96. Conclusion: The fetal sex assignment by ultrasonography between 11-13+6 weeks had high success rate. The sensitivity of fetal sex assignment was not affected with fetus position and gestational age.

  1. Fetal activity patterns in hypertensive pregnancies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rayburn, W F

    1982-01-01

    This prospective investigation attempts to determine whether the maternal recording of perceived fetal motion is useful for fetal assessment in pregnancies complicated by hypertension. During a 21 month period, 124 patients whose pregnancies were complicated by either chronic or pregnancy-induced hypertension participated. The number of perceived movements per hour (24 +/- 11, mean +/- S.D.) and evidence for fetal inactivity (7 cases, 6%) did not vary significantly from a control group of normotensive pregnancies (p greater than 0.05). Fetal inactivity was predictive of an unfavorable perinatal outcome in 6 of 7 cases, including the three stillborn infants. No perinatal deaths occurred among the 117 hypertensive pregnancies with active fetuses, and the 6 cases with an unfavorable outcome were associated with mild intrauterine growth delay, prematurity, or acute changes such as placental abruption or umbilical cord accidents. Realizing these limitations, a record of fetal inactivity is worthwhile in managing the pregnancy complicated by hypertension.

  2. Inequality in Fetal Autopsy in Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Auger, Nathalie; Tiandrazana, Rémi-Claude; Healy-Profitós, Jessica; Costopoulos, André

    2016-01-01

    Inequality in use of fetal autopsy is poorly understood, despite the importance of autopsy in establishing the cause of stillbirth for future prevention. We examined fetal autopsy rates between linguistic minorities in Quebec, Canada, and assessed trends over three decades. Using registry data on 11,992 stillbirths from 1981-2011, we calculated fetal autopsy rates for Francophones, Anglophones, and Allophones by decade. We found lower fetal autopsy rates for Allophones (54.4%) than Francophones (68.5%) and Anglophones (63.4%), but rates decreased over time for all language groups. After 2000, Allophones had 25% higher risk of non-autopsy relative to Francophones, with 8.8 fewer autopsies for every 100 stillbirths. Allophones who were not autopsied had 32% higher risk of having an undetermined cause of death. Inequality in use of fetal autopsy may be widespread for minorities in Canada. Efforts to decrease stillbirth in minorities may require policies to increase autopsy rates.

  3. In vivo (1)H magnetic resonance spectroscopy of amniotic fluid and fetal lung at 1.5 T: technical challenges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Dong-Hyun; Vahidi, Kiarash; Caughey, Aaron B; Coakley, Fergus V; Vigneron, Daniel B; Kurhanewicz, John; Mow, Ben; Joe, Bonnie N

    2008-10-01

    To identify the major technical challenges associated with in utero single-voxel proton spectroscopy of amniotic fluid and fetal lung and to evaluate the feasibility of performing in utero fetal spectroscopy for fetal lung maturity testing. Fetal magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy of amniotic fluid and fetal lung were performed at 1.5 T in 8 near-term pregnant women. Presence/absence of lactate and choline peaks was tabulated. Ex vivo spectra were obtained from amniotic fluid samples to investigate and refine sequence parameters. Spectroscopy failed in 3 of 8 cases due to maternal discomfort (n = 1) or fetal gastroschisis (n = 2). Both fetal motion and low signal-to-noise ratio were limiting factors for the remaining 5 clinical in vivo studies at 1.5 T. Ex vivo and in vivo studies suggested feasibility for detecting lactate from amniotic fluid within a reasonable clinical scan time (4-5 minutes). Lactate was detected in 3 of 5 patients. Choline detection was limited and was detected in 1 patient. Minor motion effects can be overcome but continuous fetal motion is problematic. Lactate detection seems clinically feasible, but choline detection requires additional technical development and, potentially, further imaging at a higher field strength because of the low signal-to-noise ratio at 1.5 T. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  4. Fluid mechanics of human fetal right ventricles from image-based computational fluid dynamics using 4D clinical ultrasound scans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiputra, Hadi; Lai, Chang Quan; Lim, Guat Ling; Heng, Joel Jia Wei; Guo, Lan; Soomar, Sanah Merchant; Leo, Hwa Liang; Biwas, Arijit; Mattar, Citra Nurfarah Zaini; Yap, Choon Hwai

    2016-12-01

    There are 0.6-1.9% of US children who were born with congenital heart malformations. Clinical and animal studies suggest that abnormal blood flow forces might play a role in causing these malformation, highlighting the importance of understanding the fetal cardiovascular fluid mechanics. We performed computational fluid dynamics simulations of the right ventricles, based on four-dimensional ultrasound scans of three 20-wk-old normal human fetuses, to characterize their flow and energy dynamics. Peak intraventricular pressure gradients were found to be 0.2-0.9 mmHg during systole, and 0.1-0.2 mmHg during diastole. Diastolic wall shear stresses were found to be around 1 Pa, which could elevate to 2-4 Pa during systole in the outflow tract. Fetal right ventricles have complex flow patterns featuring two interacting diastolic vortex rings, formed during diastolic E wave and A wave. These rings persisted through the end of systole and elevated wall shear stresses in their proximity. They were observed to conserve ∼25.0% of peak diastolic kinetic energy to be carried over into the subsequent systole. However, this carried-over kinetic energy did not significantly alter the work done by the heart for ejection. Thus, while diastolic vortexes played a significant role in determining spatial patterns and magnitudes of diastolic wall shear stresses, they did not have significant influence on systolic ejection. Our results can serve as a baseline for future comparison with diseased hearts. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

  5. Fetal sex modifies effects of prenatal stress exposure and adverse birth outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wainstock, Tamar; Shoham-Vardi, Ilana; Glasser, Saralee; Anteby, Eyal; Lerner-Geva, Liat

    2015-01-01

    Prenatal maternal stress is associated with pregnancy complications, poor fetal development and poor birth outcomes. Fetal sex has also been shown to affect the course of pregnancy and its outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether fetal sex modifies the association between continuous exposure to life-threatening rocket attack alarms and adverse pregnancy outcomes. A retrospective cohort study was conducted in which the exposed group was comprised of 1846 women exposed to rocket-attack alarms before and during pregnancy. The unexposed group, with similar sociodemographic characteristics, delivered during the same period of time at the same medical center, but resided out of rocket-attack range. Multivariable models for each gender separately, controlling for possible confounders, evaluated the risk associated with exposure for preterm births (PTB), low birthweight (LBW), small for gestational age and small head circumference (HC). In both univariable and multivariable analyses exposure status was a significant risk factor in female fetuses only: PTB (adj. OR = 1.43; 1.04-1.96), LBW (adj. OR = 1.41; 1.02-1.95) and HC stress.

  6. Fetal alcohol exposure and development of the integument

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Longhurst WD

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available William D Longhurst,1 Jordan Ernst,2 Larry Burd3 1Center for Emergency Medicine, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA; 2University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, USA; 3Department of Pediatrics, North Dakota Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Center, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, USA Background: The physiology of fetal alcohol exposure changes across gestation. Early in pregnancy placental, fetal, and amniotic fluid concentrations of alcohol exposure are equivalent. Beginning in mid-pregnancy, the maturing fetal epidermis adds keratins which decrease permeability resulting in development of a barrier between fetal circulation and the amniotic fluid. Barrier function development is essential for viability in late pregnancy and in the extra-uterine environment. In this paper we provide a selected review of the effects of barrier function on fetal alcohol exposure. Methods: We utilized a search of PubMed and Google for all years in all languages for MeSH on Demand terms: alcohol drinking, amnion, amniotic fluid, epidermis, ethanol, female, fetal development, fetus, humans, keratins, permeability, and pregnancy. We also reviewed the reference lists of relevant papers and hand-searched reference lists of textbooks for additional references. Results: By 30 gestational weeks, development of barrier function alters the pathophysiology of ethanol dispersion between the fetus and amniotic fluid. Firstly, increases in the effectiveness of barrier function decreases the rate of diffusion of alcohol from fetal circulation across fetal skin into the amniotic fluid. This reduces the volume of alcohol entering the amniotic fluid. Secondly, barrier function increases the duration of fetal exposure by decreasing the rate of alcohol diffusion from amniotic fluid back into fetal circulation. Ethanol is then transported into

  7. Ventricular tachyarrhythmia during pregnancy in women with heart disease: Data from the ROPAC, a registry from the European Society of Cardiology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    E. Ertekin (Ebru); I.M. van Hagen (Iris); A.M. Salam (Amar M.); T.P.E. Ruys (Titia); M.R. Johnson (Mark); J. Popelová (Jana); W.A. Parsonage (William A.); Z. Ashour (Zeinab); Shotan, A. (Avraham); Oliver, J.M. (José M.); G.R. Veldtman (Gruschen R.); R. Hall (Ruth); J.W. Roos-Hesselink (Jolien)

    2016-01-01

    textabstractObjectives To describe the incidence, onset, predictors and outcome of ventricular tachyarrhythmia (VTA) in pregnant women with heart disease. Background VTA during pregnancy will cause maternal morbidity and even mortality and will have impact on fetal outcome. Insufficient data exist

  8. Does maternal-fetal transfer of creatine occur in pregnant sheep?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baharom, Syed; De Matteo, Robert; Ellery, Stacey; Della Gatta, Paul; Bruce, Clinton R; Kowalski, Greg M; Hale, Nadia; Dickinson, Hayley; Harding, Richard; Walker, David; Snow, Rodney J

    2017-07-01

    Our aim was to determine the disposition of creatine in ovine pregnancy and whether creatine is transferred across the placenta from mother to fetus. Pregnant ewes received either 1 ) a continuous intravenous infusion of creatine monohydrate or saline from 122 to 131 days gestation, with maternal and fetal arterial blood and amniotic fluid samples collected daily for creatine analysis and fetal tissues collected at necropsy at 133 days for analysis of creatine content, or 2 ) a single systemic bolus injection of [ 13 C]creatine monohydrate at 130 days of gestation, with maternal and fetal arterial blood, uterine vein blood, and amniotic fluid samples collected before and for 4 h after injection and analyzed for creatine, creatine isotopic enrichment, and guanidinoacetic acid (GAA; precursor of creatine) concentrations. Presence of the creatine transporter-1 (SLC6A8) and l-arginine:glycine amidinotransferase (AGAT; the enzyme synthesizing GAA) proteins were determined by Western blots of placental cotyledons. The 10-day creatine infusion increased maternal plasma creatine concentration three- to fourfold ( P creatine content. Maternal arterial 13 C enrichment was increased ( P creatine injection without change of fetal arterial 13 C enrichment. SLC6A8 and AGAT proteins were identified in placental cotyledons, and GAA concentration was significantly higher in uterine vein than maternal artery plasma. Despite the presence of SLC6A8 protein in cotyledons, these results suggest that creatine is not transferred from mother to fetus in near-term sheep and that the ovine utero-placental unit releases GAA into the maternal circulation. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

  9. Development of a Smart Mobile Data Module for Fetal Monitoring in E-Healthcare.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Houzé de l'Aulnoit, Agathe; Boudet, Samuel; Génin, Michaël; Gautier, Pierre-François; Schiro, Jessica; Houzé de l'Aulnoit, Denis; Beuscart, Régis

    2018-03-23

    The fetal heart rate (FHR) is a marker of fetal well-being in utero (when monitoring maternal and/or fetal pathologies) and during labor. Here, we developed a smart mobile data module for the remote acquisition and transmission (via a Wi-Fi or 4G connection) of FHR recordings, together with a web-based viewer for displaying the FHR datasets on a computer, smartphone or tablet. In order to define the features required by users, we modelled the fetal monitoring procedure (in home and hospital settings) via semi-structured interviews with midwives and obstetricians. Using this information, we developed a mobile data transfer module based on a Raspberry Pi. When connected to a standalone fetal monitor, the module acquires the FHR signal and sends it (via a Wi-Fi or a 3G/4G mobile internet connection) to a secure server within our hospital information system. The archived, digitized signal data are linked to the patient's electronic medical records. An HTML5/JavaScript web viewer converts the digitized FHR data into easily readable and interpretable graphs for viewing on a computer (running Windows, Linux or MacOS) or a mobile device (running Android, iOS or Windows Phone OS). The data can be viewed in real time or offline. The application includes tools required for correct interpretation of the data (signal loss calculation, scale adjustment, and precise measurements of the signal's characteristics). We performed a proof-of-concept case study of the transmission, reception and visualization of FHR data for a pregnant woman at 30 weeks of amenorrhea. She was hospitalized in the pregnancy assessment unit and FHR data were acquired three times a day with a Philips Avalon® FM30 fetal monitor. The prototype (Raspberry Pi) was connected to the fetal monitor's RS232 port. The emission and reception of prerecorded signals were tested and the web server correctly received the signals, and the FHR recording was visualized in real time on a computer, a tablet and smartphones

  10. Quantitative Evaluation of the Fetal Right and Left Ventricular Fractional Area Change Using Speckle Tracking Technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeVore, Greggory R; Klas, Berthold; Satou, Gary; Sklansky, Mark

    2018-03-14

    The purpose of this study was to measure the fractional area change (FAC) of the right and left ventricles in normal fetal hearts between 20 and 40 weeks of gestation using speckle-tracking software. The 4-chamber view of the fetal heart was obtained in 200 control fetuses between 20 and 40 weeks of gestation. The FAC was computed from the ventricular areas [((end-diastolic area) - (end-systolic area)/(end-diastolic area)) x 100] for the right and left ventricles and regressed against 7 independent biometric and age variables. The FAC was correlated with longitudinal fractional shortening (LFS) [((end-diastolic longitudinal length) - (end-systolic longitudinal length) /(end-diastolic longitudinal length)) x 100] obtained from the mid ventricular basal-apical lengths of the right and left ventricular chambers and the transverse fractional shortening (TFS) [((end-diastolic transverse length) - (end-systolic transverse length)/(end-diastolic transverse length)) x 100] from three transverse positions (base, mid, apical) located within each ventricular chamber. To evaluate potential clinical utility, the FAC, LFS, and TFS results were examined in 9 fetuses with congenital heart defects (CHD). Regression analysis demonstrated significant associations between the FAC and the biometric and age independent variables (R 2 = 0.13 - 0.15). The FAC was significantly correlated with the LFS (R 2 =0.18 to 0.28) and TFS (R 2 = 0.13 to 0.33). The 9 fetuses with CHD illustrated the interrelationship between the FAC, LFS, and TFS when identifying abnormal ventricular function. This study reports results from measuring the FAC of the right and left ventricles, and demonstrates a correlation with longitudinal fractional shortening (LFS) and transverse fractional shortening (TFS). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  11. Unexplained fetal death

    OpenAIRE

    Sepúlveda, Janer; Quintero, Eliana Maribel

    2004-01-01

    El porcentaje de muertes fetales inexplicadas oscila entre un 21% a 50%; se define como la muerte que ocurre en fetos con edad gestacional mayor de 20 semanas o peso superior a 500 g, en la cual ni la autopsia ni el examen histológico del cordón umbilical, placenta y membranas, se logra identificar la causa. Los factores asociados con muerte fetal inexplicada son edad materna mayor de 35 años, sobrepeso, nivel educativo menor de 10 años, cigarrillo y bajo nivel socioeconómico, entre otros. La...

  12. Quantitation and histochemical localization of galectin-1 and galectin-1-reactive glycoconjugates in fetal development of bovine organs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaltner, H; Lips, K S; Reuter, G; Lippert, S; Sinowatz, F; Gabius, H J

    1997-10-01

    The display of cellular oligosaccharide chains is known to undergo marked developmental changes, as monitored histochemically with plant lectins. In conjunction with endogenous lectins respective ligand structures may have a functional role during fetal development. The assumption of a recognitive, functionally productive interplay prompts the study of the expression of a tissue lectin and of lectin-reactive glycoconjugates concomitantly. Focusing on common beta-galactosides as constituents of oligosaccharide chains and the predominant member of the family of galectins in mammals, namely galectin-1, the question therefore is addressed as to whether expression of lectin and lectin-reactive glycoconjugates exhibits alterations, assessed in three morphologically defined fetal stages and in adult bovine organs. Using a sandwich ELISA, the level of the rather ubiquitous galectin-1 is mostly increased in adult organs relative to respective fetal stages, except for the case of kidney. This developmental course is seen rather seldom, when the amounts of lectin-reactive glycoproteins or glycolipids are quantitated in solid-phase assays after tissue homogenization. Western blotting, combined with probing by labeled galectin-1, discloses primarily quantitative changes in the reactivity of individual glycoproteins. Performing the same assays on extract aliquots with a plant agglutinin, namely the galactoside-binding mistletoe lectin, whose fine specificity is different from galectin-1, its reduced extent of binding in solid-phase assays and the disparate profile of lectin-reactive glycoproteins reveal a non-uniform developmental alteration within the group of structural variants of beta-galactosides. Although sample preparation can affect ligand preservation and/or presentation and thus restricts the comparability of biochemical and histochemical results, especially for soluble reactants, the histochemical studies on frozen and paraffin-embedded sections of bovine heart

  13. Prenatal detection of structural cardiac defects and presence of associated anomalies: a retrospective observational study of 1262 fetal echocardiograms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mone, Fionnuala; Walsh, Colin; Mulcahy, Cecelia; McMahon, Colin J; Farrell, Sinead; MacTiernan, Aoife; Segurado, Ricardo; Mahony, Rhona; Higgins, Shane; Carroll, Stephen; McParland, Peter; McAuliffe, Fionnuala M

    2015-06-01

    The aim of this study is to document the detection of fetal congenital heart defect (CHD) in relation to the following: (1) indication for referral, (2) chromosomal and (3) extracardiac abnormalities. All fetal echocardiograms performed in our institution from 2007 to 2011 were reviewed retrospectively. Indication for referral, cardiac diagnosis based on the World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases tenth revision criteria and the presence of chromosomal and extracardiac defects were recorded. Of 1262 echocardiograms, 287 (22.7%) had CHD. Abnormal anatomy scan in pregnancies originally considered to be at low risk of CHD was the best indicator for detecting CHD (91.2% of positive cardiac diagnoses), compared with other indications of family history (5.6%) or maternal medical disorder (3.1%). Congenital anomalies of the cardiac septa comprised the largest category (n = 89), within which atrioventricular septal defects were the most common anomaly (n = 36). Invasive prenatal testing was performed for 126 of 287 cases, of which 44% (n = 55) had a chromosomal abnormality. Of 232 fetuses without chromosomal abnormalities, 31% had an extracardiac defect (n = 76). Most CHDs occur in pregnancies regarded to be at low risk, highlighting the importance of a routine midtrimester fetal anatomy scan. Frequent association of fetal CHD and chromosomal and extracardiac pathology emphasises the importance of thorough evaluation of any fetus with CHD. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  14. Fetal Heart

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Rounds Seminar Series & Daily Conferences Fellowships and Residencies School of Perfusion Technology Education Resources Library & Learning Resource Center CME Resources THI Journal THI Cardiac Society Register for the Cardiac Society ...

  15. Ascitis fetal masiva idiopática aislada

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yolimar Navarro Briceño

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available La ascitis fetal esta comúnmente asociada a malformaciones gastrointestinales y urinarias, anemia, infección y anomalías cromosómicas. La ascitis fetal masiva idiopática es rara. Se reporta un caso de una embarazada de 33 años referida a las 17 semanas después que se detectó ascitis en ausencia de anomalías estructurales. La evaluación cardiaca y las pruebas diagnósticas de infecciones virales fueron negativas. A las 28 semanas se detectó ascitis masiva sin otros signos de hidrops fetal. La velocidad sistólica pico de la arteria cerebral media fetal estaba elevada. El Doppler de la arteria umbilical, crecimiento fetal y volumen de líquido amniótico estaban normales. El ecocardiograma fetal estaba normal. Se realizó la amniocentesis con resultados normales del cariotipo. A pesar de la persistencia de la ascitis masiva durante el seguimiento, el crecimiento fetal y el volumen de líquido amniótico eran normales con valores elevados de la velocidad sistólica pico de la arteria cerebral media fetal. A las 33 semanas la paciente se realizó cesárea de emergencia por sufrimiento fetal agudo. Se obtuvo un recién nacido vivo femenino normal con valores normales de hemoglobina al nacer. El flujo vascular hepático, vesical y hepato-portal fueron normales. La ascitis se resolvió completamente al octavo día después del nacimiento y el recién nacido fue dado de alta a los 15 días.

  16. WHO multicentre study for the development of growth standards from fetal life to childhood: the fetal component.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merialdi, Mario; Widmer, Mariana; Gülmezoglu, Ahmet Metin; Abdel-Aleem, Hany; Bega, George; Benachi, Alexandra; Carroli, Guillermo; Cecatti, Jose Guilherme; Diemert, Anke; Gonzalez, Rogelio; Hecher, Kurt; Jensen, Lisa N; Johnsen, Synnøve L; Kiserud, Torvid; Kriplani, Alka; Lumbiganon, Pisake; Tabor, Ann; Talegawkar, Sameera A; Tshefu, Antoinette; Wojdyla, Daniel; Platt, Lawrence

    2014-05-02

    In 2006 WHO presented the infant and child growth charts suggested for universal application. However, major determinants for perinatal outcomes and postnatal growth are laid down during antenatal development. Accordingly, monitoring fetal growth in utero by ultrasonography is important both for clinical and scientific reasons. The currently used fetal growth references are derived mainly from North American and European population and may be inappropriate for international use, given possible variances in the growth rates of fetuses from different ethnic population groups. WHO has, therefore, made it a high priority to establish charts of optimal fetal growth that can be recommended worldwide. This is a multi-national study for the development of fetal growth standards for international application by assessing fetal growth in populations of different ethnic and geographic backgrounds. The study will select pregnant women of high-middle socioeconomic status with no obvious environmental constraints on growth (adequate nutritional status, non-smoking), and normal pregnancy history with no complications likely to affect fetal growth. The study will be conducted in centres from ten developing and industrialized countries: Argentina, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Norway, and Thailand. At each centre, 140 pregnant women will be recruited between 8 + 0 and 12 + 6 weeks of gestation. Subsequently, visits for fetal biometry will be scheduled at 14, 18, 24, 28, 32, 36, and 40 weeks (+/- 1 week) to be performed by trained ultrasonographers.The main outcome of the proposed study will be the development of fetal growth standards (either global or population specific) for international applications. The data from this study will be incorporated into obstetric practice and national health policies at country level in coordination with the activities presently conducted by WHO to implement the use of the Child Growth Standards.

  17. Routine clinical heart examinations using SQUID magnetocardiography at University of Tsukuba Hospital

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inaba, T.; Nakazawa, Y.; Yoshida, K.; Kato, Y.; Hattori, A.; Kimura, T.; Hoshi, T.; Ishizu, T.; Seo, Y.; Sato, A.; Sekiguchi, Y.; Nogami, A.; Watanabe, S.; Horigome, H.; Kawakami, Y.; Aonuma, K.

    2017-11-01

    A 64-channel Nb-based DC-SQUID magnetocardiography (MCG) system was installed at the University of Tsukuba Hospital (UTH) in March 2007 after obtaining Japanese pharmaceutical approval and insurance reimbursement approval. In the period between 2008 and 2016, the total number of patients was 10 085. The heart diseases diagnosed in fetuses as well as adults are mainly atrial arrhythmia, abnormal repolarization, ventricular arrhythmia, and fetal arrhythmia. In most cases of insufficient diagnostic accuracy with electrocardiography, SQUID MCG precisely revealed these heart diseases as an abnormal electrical current distribution. Based on success in routine examinations, SQUID MCG is now an indispensable clinical instrument with diagnostic software tuned up during routine use at UTH.

  18. Thoracic and abdominal aortas stiffen through unique extracellular matrix changes in intrauterine growth restricted fetal sheep.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dodson, R Blair; Rozance, Paul J; Petrash, Carson C; Hunter, Kendall S; Ferguson, Virginia L

    2014-02-01

    Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a fetal complication of pregnancy epidemiologically linked to cardiovascular disease in the newborn later in life. However, the mechanism is poorly understood with very little research on the vascular structure and function during development in healthy and IUGR neonates. Previously, we found vascular remodeling and increased stiffness in the carotid and umbilical arteries, but here we examine the remodeling and biomechanics in the larger vessels more proximal to the heart. To study this question, thoracic and abdominal aortas were collected from a sheep model of placental insufficiency IUGR (PI-IUGR) due to exposure to elevated ambient temperatures. Aortas from control (n = 12) and PI-IUGR fetuses (n = 10) were analyzed for functional biomechanics and structural remodeling. PI-IUGR aortas had a significant increase in stiffness (P fetal vascular remodeling in PI-IUGR may set the stage for possible altered growth and development and help to explain the pathophysiology of adult cardiovascular disease in previously IUGR individuals.

  19. [The advantages of early midtrimester targeted fetal systematic organ screening for the detection of fetal anomalies--will a global change start in Israel?].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bronshtein, Moshe; Solt, Ido; Blumenfeld, Zeev

    2014-06-01

    Despite more than three decades of universal popularity of fetal sonography as an integral part of pregnancy evaluation, there is still no unequivocal agreement regarding the optimal dating of fetal sonographic screening and the type of ultrasound (transvaginal vs abdominal). TransvaginaL systematic sonography at 14-17 weeks for fetal organ screening. The evaluation of over 72.000 early (14-17 weeks) and late (18-24 weeks) fetal ultrasonographic systematic organ screenings revealed that 96% of the malformations are detectable in the early screening with an incidence of 1:50 gestations. Only 4% of the fetal anomalies are diagnosed later in pregnancy. Over 99% of the fetal cardiac anomalies are detectable in the early screening and most of them appear in low risk gestations. Therefore, we suggest a new platform of fetal sonographic evaluation and follow-up: The extensive systematic fetal organ screening should be performed by an expert sonographer who has been trained in the detection of fetal malformations, at 14-17 weeks gestation. This examination should also include fetal cardiac echography Three additional ultrasound examinations are suggested during pregnancy: the first, performed by the patient's obstetrician at 6-7 weeks for the exclusion of ectopic pregnancy, confirmation of fetal viability, dating, assessment of chorionicity in multiple gestations, and visualization of maternal adnexae. The other two, at 22-26 and 32-34 weeks, require less training and should be performed by an obstetrician who has been qualified in the sonographic detection of fetal anomalies. The advantages of early midtrimester targeted fetal systematic organ screening for the detection of fetal anomalies may dictate a global change.

  20. Efeitos da anemia materna na cardiotocografia computadorizada e perfil biofísico fetal Effects of maternal anemia on computerized cardiotocography and fetal biophysical profile

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roseli Mieko Yamamoto Nomura

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVOS: avaliar a influência dos níveis de hemoglobina (Hb materna nos padrões da frequência cardíaca fetal (FCF e no perfil biofísico fetal (PBF em gestações a termo. MÉTODOS: gestantes portadoras de anemia (Hb11,0 g/dL. Foram excluídos casos com anomalias ou restrição do crescimento fetal. A avaliação da FCF foi realizada pela cardiotocografia computadorizada (Sistema8002-Sonicaid e análise do traçado com 30 minutos de exame. O PBF foi realizado em todas as pacientes. Foram utilizados os testes t de Student, teste do χ2 e teste exato de Fisher. O nível de significância utilizado foi de 0,05. RESULTADOS: A média da Hb materna no grupo com anemia (n=18 foi de 9,4 g/dL (DP=1,4 g/dL e no Grupo Controle 12,4 g/dL (DP=1,3 g/dL. Quanto aos parâmetros da cardiotocografia, não foi constatada diferença significativa nas médias entre os grupos com anemia e controle, respectivamente: FCF basal (131,3 bpm versus 133,7 bpm, p=0,5, acelerações da FCF > 10 bpm (7,9 versus. 8,2, p=0,866, acelerações da FCF > 15 bpm (5,2 versus 5,4, p=0,9, episódios de alta variação da FCF (17,1 versus 15,5 min, p=0,5, episódios de baixa variação da FCF (4,4 versus 3,6 min, p=0,6, e variação de curto prazo (10,5 versus 10,9 ms, p=0,5. Em ambos os grupos, todas as pacientes apresentaram PBF normal. CONCLUSÕES: este estudo sugere que a anemia materna leve ou moderada, sem outras comorbidades maternas ou fetais, não se associa a anormalidades nos parâmetros do perfil biofísico fetal e da FCF analisada pela cardiotocografia computadorizada.PURPOSES: to evaluate the influence of maternal hemoglobin (Hb levels in the patterns of fetal heart rate (FHR and in the fetal biophysical profile (FBP in term gestations. METHODS: pregnant women with anemia (Hb11,0 g/dL. Cases of anomalies or fetal growing restrictions were excluded. The FHR evaluation was performed by computerized cardiotocography (8002 System-Sonicaid, and by record analysis during

  1. Acquired heart conditions in adults with congenital heart disease: a growing problem.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tutarel, Oktay

    2014-09-01

    The number of adults with congenital heart disease is increasing due to the great achievements in the field of paediatric cardiology, congenital heart surgery and intensive care medicine over the last decades. Mortality has shifted away from the infant and childhood period towards adulthood. As congenital heart disease patients get older, a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors is encountered similar to the general population. Consequently, the contribution of acquired morbidities, especially acquired heart conditions to patient outcome, is becoming increasingly important. Therefore, to continue the success story of the last decades in the treatment of congenital heart disease and to further improve the outcome of these patients, more attention has to be given to the prevention, detection and adequate therapy of acquired heart conditions. The aim of this review is to give an overview about acquired heart conditions that may be encountered in adults with congenital heart disease. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  2. Fetal MRI: A Technical Update with Educational Aspirations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gholipour, Ali; Estroff, Judith A; Barnewolt, Carol E; Robertson, Richard L; Grant, P Ellen; Gagoski, Borjan; Warfield, Simon K; Afacan, Onur; Connolly, Susan A; Neil, Jeffrey J; Wolfberg, Adam; Mulkern, Robert V

    2014-11-01

    Fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations have become well-established procedures at many institutions and can serve as useful adjuncts to ultrasound (US) exams when diagnostic doubts remain after US. Due to fetal motion, however, fetal MRI exams are challenging and require the MR scanner to be used in a somewhat different mode than that employed for more routine clinical studies. Herein we review the techniques most commonly used, and those that are available, for fetal MRI with an emphasis on the physics of the techniques and how to deploy them to improve success rates for fetal MRI exams. By far the most common technique employed is single-shot T2-weighted imaging due to its excellent tissue contrast and relative immunity to fetal motion. Despite the significant challenges involved, however, many of the other techniques commonly employed in conventional neuro- and body MRI such as T1 and T2*-weighted imaging, diffusion and perfusion weighted imaging, as well as spectroscopic methods remain of interest for fetal MR applications. An effort to understand the strengths and limitations of these basic methods within the context of fetal MRI is made in order to optimize their use and facilitate implementation of technical improvements for the further development of fetal MR imaging, both in acquisition and post-processing strategies.

  3. Fetal MRI of pathological brain development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brugger, P.C.; Prayer, D.

    2006-01-01

    Because of the superior tissue contrast, high spatial resolution, and multiplanar capabilities, fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can depict fetal brain pathologies with high accuracy. Pathological fetal brain development may result from malformations or acquired conditions. Differentiation of these etiologies is important with respect to managing the actual pregnancy or counseling future pregnancies. As a widened ventricular system is a common hallmark of both maldevelopment and acquired conditions, it may cause problems in the differential diagnosis. Fetal MRI can provide detailed morphological information, which allows refinement of the diagnosis of ventricular enlargement in a large number of cases. Systematic work-up of morphological details that may be recognized on MR images provides an approach for achieving a correct diagnosis in cases of ventricle enlargement. (orig.) [de

  4. Treatment of valvular heart disease during pregnancy for improving maternal and neonatal outcome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henriquez, Dacia Dca; Roos-Hesselink, Jolien W; Schalij, Martin J; Klautz, Robert Jm; Helmerhorst, Frans M; de Groot, Christianne Jm

    2011-05-11

    Valvular heart disease constitutes the majority of all causes of heart disease in pregnancy. In the presence of valvular heart disease, the necessary haemodynamic changes of pregnancy might cause heart failure, leading to severe maternal and fetal morbidity and even mortality. Treatment of valvular heart disease is indicated when patients experience a deterioration of symptoms and in case of a severe valvular lesion. Whether medical therapy or interventional therapy is the optimal treatment for both mother and child is unclear. To assess effectiveness and adverse effects of the different treatment modalities of valvular heart disease in pregnancy to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes. We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (31 March 2011), EMBASE (1980 to 23 March 2011) and the reference lists of background review articles. Randomised controlled trials, quasi-randomised controlled and cluster-randomised controlled trials comparing medical therapy with percutaneous or surgical intervention for the treatment of valvular heart disease in pregnancy. We identified no (randomised) controlled trials to assess the effectiveness and adverse effects of the treatment of valvular heart disease in pregnancy. There were no randomised controlled trials, quasi-randomised controlled trials or cluster-randomised trials identified from the search strategy. There is insufficient evidence to define the most effective treatment of valvular heart disease in pregnancy to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes.

  5. Fetal Ultrasound

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... isn't recommended simply to determine a baby's sex. Similarly, fetal ultrasound isn't recommended solely for the purpose of producing keepsake videos or pictures. If your health care provider doesn' ...

  6. Factors Affecting Estimated Fetal Weight Measured by Ultrasound

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hasan Energin

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Objective: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the fac­tors that affect the accuracy of estimated fetal weight in ultrasound. Methods: This study was conducted in 3rd degree hospi­tal antenatal outpatient clinic and perinatology inpatient clinic between June 2011 and January 2012. The data were obtained from 165 pregnant women. Inclusion cri­teria were; no additional diseases, giving birth within 48 hours after ultrasound. The same physician executed all ultrasound process. Age, height, weight, obstetric history and obstetric follow –up findings were recorded. Results: Fetal gender, fetal presentation, presence of meconium in amniotic fluid, maternal parity, did not sig­nificantly affect the accuracy of fetal weight estimation by ultrasound. The mean difference between estimated fetal weight and birth weight was 104.48±84 gr in nullipars and 94.2±81 gr in multipars (p=0.44; mean difference was 98.22±79 gr in male babies and 98.15±86 gr in female babies (p=0.99. Mean difference between estimated fetal weight and birth weight was 96.92±81 gr in babies with cephalic presentation and 110.9±90 gr in babies with breech presentation (p=0.53; this difference was 95.36±79 gr in babies with amniotic fluid with meconium and 98.82± 83 gr in babies with amniotic fluid without me­conium (p=0.83. Conclusion: Fetal weight is estimation is one of key points in the obstetrician’s intrapartum managament. And it is important to make fetal weight estimation accurately. In our study, consistent with literature, we observed that fetal gender; meconium presence in amniotic fluid, fetal presentation, maternal parity does not significantly effect the accuracy of fetal weight estimation by ultrasound.

  7. [THE FETAL MIDDLE CEREBRAL ARTERY PEAK SYSTOLIC VELOCITY AS A PEDICTOR OF FETAL ANEMIA IN RH-ALLOIMMUNIZED PREGNANCY].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markov, D; Pavlova, E; Atanassova, D; Diavolov, V; Hitrova, S; Vakrilova, L; Pramatarova, T; Slancheva, B; Ivanov, St

    2015-01-01

    Rh-isoimmunization is a pathological condition in which the fetal red blood cells of a Rh (+) fetus are destroyed by the isoantibodies of a Rh (-) woman sensitized in a previous event. Despite of the wide spread implementation of anti D-gammaglobolin prophylaxis this is still the most common cause for fetal anemia. Recently, sonographic measurement of the fetal middle cerebral artery peak systolic velocity (MCA-PSV) has been shown to be an accurate non-invasive test to predict low fetal hemoglobin levels. We present a case report of Rh-alloimmunized pregnancy with moderate fetal anemia, followed-up by weekly MCA-PSV measurements. A 37-year-old Rh (-) negative gravida 3, para 1, without anti-D gammaglobolin prophylaxis in her previous pregnancies, presented at 27+0 weeks of gestation (w.g.) for a routine third trimester scan. Subsequent ultrasound measurements of MCA-PSV confirmed a progressive increase of the peak systolic velocities from 40 to 80 cm/sec, as well as a gradual rise in the anti-D titers. The evidence of developing fetal anemia necessitated elective Caesarean section performed at 35 wg. The neonate was admitted in the intensive care unit and required resuscitation, one exchange blood transfusion and several courses of phototherapy. The patient was discharged two weeks post partum. There is a strong correlation between the high peak systolic velocities in the middle cerebral artery (MCA-PSV) and the low levels of fetal hemoglobin. The high sensitivity and positive predictive value concerning the development of fetal anemia, as well as its good repeatability, makes this non-invasive test a valuable asset in the management of all pregnancies complicated by severe Rh-alloimmunization.

  8. A study on maternal-fetal attachment in pregnant women undergoing fetal echocardiography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Concetta Polizzi

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: To investigate the possible effects of the fetal echocardiography experience on the prenatal attachment process. The predictive effect of specific women’s psychological variables will be explored as well.Design and methods: This between groups study involved 85 women with pregnancy at risk who underwent the fetal echocardiography, and 83 women who were about to undergo the morphological scan. The tools employed were: the Prenatal Attachment Inventory (P.A.I. to explore the maternal-fetal attachment; the Maternity Social Support Scale to investigate the woman perception of being socially supported during pregnancy; both the Big Five Questionnaire and the FACES III to explore the personality traits of pregnant women and their perception of their couple relationship functioning.Findings: The outcomes of ANOVA do not show statistically significant differences between the two groups of the mothers-to-be with regard to the scores of the P.A.I. (F = .017; p = .897; η2 = .000, while the regression analysis of the possible effect of the maternal psychological variables on the mother-fetus relationship shows a statistically significant result only with regard to the “social support” variable (r2 = .061; df = 80; p = .025.Conclusions: It would seem that the process of the prenatal attachment develops independently whether the woman has to undergo a first level screening or a second level examination such as the fetal echocardiography.

  9. Beneficial aspects of real time flow measurements for the management of acute right ventricular heart failure following continuous flow ventricular assist device implantation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Spiliopoulos Sotirios

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Optimal management of acute right heart failure following the implantation of a left ventricular assist device requires a reliable estimation of left ventricular preload and contractility. This is possible by real-time pump blood flow measurements. Clinical case We performed implantation of a continuous flow left ventricular assist device in a 66 years old female patient with an end-stage heart failure on the grounds of a dilated cardiomyopathy. Real-time pump blood flow was directly measured by an ultrasonic flow probe placed around the outflow graft. Diagnosis The progressive decline of real time flow and the loss of pulsatility were associated with an increase of central venous pressure, inotropic therapy and progressive renal failure suggesting the presence of an acute right heart failure. Diagnosis was validated by echocardiography and thermodilution measurements. Treatment Temporary mechanical circulatory support of the right ventricle was successfully performed. Real time flow measurement proved to be a useful tool for the diagnosis and ultimately for the management of right heart failure including the weaning from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

  10. Optimal Timing of Heart Transplant After HeartMate II Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steffen, Robert J; Blackstone, Eugene H; Smedira, Nicholas G; Soltesz, Edward G; Hoercher, Katherine J; Thuita, Lucy; Starling, Randall C; Mountis, Maria; Moazami, Nader

    2017-11-01

    Optimal timing of heart transplantation in patients supported with second-generation left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) is unknown. Despite this, patients with LVADs continue to receive priority on the heart transplant waiting list. Our objective was to determine the optimal timing of transplantation for patients bridged with continuous-flow LVADs. A total of 301 HeartMate II LVADs (Thoratec Corp, Pleasanton, CA) were implanted in 285 patients from October 2004 to June 2013, and 86 patients underwent transplantation through the end of follow-up. Optimal transplantation timing was the product of surviving on LVAD support and surviving transplant. Three-year survival after both HeartMate II implantation and heart transplantation was unchanged when transplantation occurred within 9 months of implantation. Survival decreased as the duration of support exceeded this. Preoperative risk factors for death on HeartMate II support were prior valve operation, prior coronary artery bypass grafting, low albumin, low glomerular filtration rate, higher mean arterial pressure, hypertension, and earlier date of implant. Survival for patients without these risk factors was lowest when transplant was performed within 3 months but was relatively constant with increased duration of support. Longer duration of support was associated with poorer survival for patients with many of these risk factors. Device reimplantation, intracranial hemorrhage, and postimplant dialysis during HeartMate II support were associated with decreased survival. Survival of patients supported by the HeartMate II is affected by preoperative comorbidities and postoperative complications. Transplantation before complications is imperative in optimizing survival. Copyright © 2017 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Complement inhibition by hydroxychloroquine prevents placental and fetal brain abnormalities in antiphospholipid syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bertolaccini, Maria Laura; Contento, Gregorio; Lennen, Ross; Sanna, Giovanni; Blower, Philip J; Ma, Michelle T; Sunassee, Kavitha; Girardi, Guillermina

    2016-12-01

    Placental ischemic disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes are frequently observed in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Despite the administration of conventional antithrombotic treatment a significant number of women continue to experience adverse pregnancy outcomes, with uncertain prevention and management. Efforts to develop effective pharmacological strategies for refractory obstetric APS cases will be of significant clinical benefit for both mothers and fetuses. Although the antimalarial drug, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is increasingly used to treat pregnant women with APS, little is known about its efficacy and mechanism of action of HCQ. Because complement activation plays a crucial and causative role in placental ischemia and abnormal fetal brain development in APS we hypothesised that HCQ prevents these pregnancy complications through inhibition of complement activation. Using a mouse model of obstetric APS that closely resembles the clinical condition, we found that HCQ prevented fetal death and the placental metabolic changes -measured by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in APS-mice. Using 111 In labelled antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) we identified the placenta and the fetal brain as the main organ targets in APS-mice. Using this same method, we found that HCQ does not inhibit aPL binding to tissues as was previously suggested from in vitro studies. While HCQ did not affect aPL binding to fetal brain it prevented fetal brain abnormal cortical development. HCQ prevented complement activation in vivo and in vitro. Complement C5a levels in serum samples from APS patients and APS-mice were lower after treatment with HCQ while the antibodies titres remained unchanged. HCQ prevented not only placental insufficiency but also abnormal fetal brain development in APS. By inhibiting complement activation, HCQ might also be an effective antithrombotic therapy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. A transcriptome-wide screen for mRNAs enriched in fetal Leydig cells: CRHR1 agonism stimulates rat and mouse fetal testis steroidogenesis.

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    Erin N McDowell

    Full Text Available Fetal testis steroidogenesis plays an important role in the reproductive development of the male fetus. While regulators of certain aspects of steroidogenesis are known, the initial driver of steroidogenesis in the human and rodent fetal testis is unclear. Through comparative analysis of rodent fetal testis microarray datasets, 54 candidate fetal Leydig cell-specific genes were identified. Fetal mouse testis interstitial expression of a subset of these genes with unknown expression (Crhr1, Gramd1b, Itih5, Vgll3, and Vsnl1 was verified by whole-mount in situ hybridization. Among the candidate fetal Leydig cell-specific factors, three receptors (CRHR1, PRLR, and PROKR2 were tested for a steroidogenic function using ex vivo fetal testes treated with receptor agonists (CRH, PRL, and PROK2. While PRL and PROK2 had no effect, CRH, at low (approximately 1 to 10 nM concentration, increased expression of the steroidogenic genes Cyp11a1, Cyp17a1, Scarb1, and Star in GD15 mouse and GD17 rat testes, and in conjunction, testosterone production was increased. Exposure of GD15 fetal mouse testis to a specific CRHR1 antagonist blunted the CRH-induced steroidogenic gene expression and testosterone responses. Similar to ex vivo rodent fetal testes, ≥ 10 nM CRH exposure of MA-10 Leydig cells increased steroidogenic pathway mRNA and progesterone levels, showing CRH can enhance steroidogenesis by directly targeting Leydig cells. Crh mRNA expression was observed in rodent fetal hypothalamus, and CRH peptide was detected in rodent amniotic fluid. Together, these data provide a resource for discovering factors controlling fetal Leydig cell biology and suggest that CRHR1 activation by CRH stimulates rat and mouse fetal Leydig cell steroidogenesis in vivo.

  13. Cholesterol synthesis by human fetal hepatocytes: effect of lipoproteins

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carr, B.R.; Simpson, E.R.

    1984-01-01

    The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the effect of various lipoproteins on the rate of cholesterol synthesis of human fetal liver cells maintained in culture. This was accomplished by measuring the rate of incorporation of tritium from tritiated water or carbon 14-labeled acetate into cholesterol in human fetal liver cells. Optimal conditions for each assay were determined. When human fetal liver cells were maintained in the presence of low-density lipoprotein, cholesterol synthesis was inhibited in a concentration-dependent fashion. Intermediate--density lipoprotein and very-low-density lipoprotein also suppressed cholesterol synthesis in human fetal liver cells. In contrast, high-density lipoprotein stimulated cholesterol synthesis in human fetal liver cells. The results of the present as well as our previous investigations suggest that multiple interrelationships exist between fetal liver cholesterol synthesis and lipoprotein-cholesterol utilization by the human fetal adrenal gland and that these processes serve to regulate the lipoprotein-cholesterol levels in fetal plasma

  14. Fetal neonatal hyperthyroidism: diagnostic and therapeutic approachment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurtoğlu, Selim; Özdemir, Ahmet

    2017-01-01

    Fetal and neonatal hyperthyroidism may occur in mothers with Graves’ disease. Fetal thyrotoxicosis manifestation is observed with the transition of TSH receptor stimulating antibodies to the fetus from the 17th–20th weeks of pregnancy and with the fetal TSH receptors becoming responsive after 20 weeks. The diagnosis is confirmed by fetal tachycardia, goiter and bone age advancement in pregnancy and maternal treatment is conducted in accordance. The probability of neonatal hyperthyroidism is high in the babies of mothers that have ongoing antithyroid requirement and higher antibody levels in the last months of pregnancy. Clinical manifestation may be delayed by 7–17 days because of the antithyroid drugs taken by the mother. Neonatal hyperthyroidism symptoms can be confused with sepsis and congenital viral infections. Herein, the diagnosis and therapeutic approach are reviewed in cases of fetal neonatal hyperthyroidism. PMID:28439194

  15. MRI of normal and pathological fetal lung development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kasprian, Gregor; Balassy, Csilla; Brugger, Peter C.; Prayer, Daniela

    2006-01-01

    Normal fetal lung development is a complex process influenced by mechanical and many biochemical factors. In addition to ultrasound, fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) constitutes a new method to investigate this process in vivo during the second and third trimester. The techniques of MRI volumetry, assessment of signal intensities, and MRI spectroscopy of the fetal lung have been used to analyze this process and have already been applied clinically to identify abnormal fetal lung growth. Particularly in conditions such as oligohydramnios and congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), pulmonary hypoplasia may be the cause of neonatal death. A precise diagnosis and quantification of compromised fetal lung development may improve post- and perinatal management. The main events in fetal lung development are reviewed and MR volumetric data from 106 normal fetuses, as well as different examples of pathological lung growth, are provided

  16. MRI of normal and pathological fetal lung development

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kasprian, Gregor [University Clinic of Radiodiagnostics, Medical University of Vienna (Austria)]. E-mail: gregor.kasprian@meduniwien.ac.at; Balassy, Csilla [University Clinic of Radiodiagnostics, Medical University of Vienna (Austria); Brugger, Peter C. [Center of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Medical University of Vienna (Austria); Prayer, Daniela [University Clinic of Radiodiagnostics, Medical University of Vienna (Austria)

    2006-02-15

    Normal fetal lung development is a complex process influenced by mechanical and many biochemical factors. In addition to ultrasound, fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) constitutes a new method to investigate this process in vivo during the second and third trimester. The techniques of MRI volumetry, assessment of signal intensities, and MRI spectroscopy of the fetal lung have been used to analyze this process and have already been applied clinically to identify abnormal fetal lung growth. Particularly in conditions such as oligohydramnios and congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), pulmonary hypoplasia may be the cause of neonatal death. A precise diagnosis and quantification of compromised fetal lung development may improve post- and perinatal management. The main events in fetal lung development are reviewed and MR volumetric data from 106 normal fetuses, as well as different examples of pathological lung growth, are provided.

  17. Births and deaths including fetal deaths

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Access to a variety of United States birth and death files including fetal deaths: Birth Files, 1968-2009; 1995-2005; Fetal death file, 1982-2005; Mortality files,...

  18. Prenatal smoking exposure and asymmetric fetal growth restriction

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Delpisheh, Ali; Brabin, Loretta; Drummond, Sandra; Brabin, Bernard J.

    2008-01-01

    Background: Prenatal smoking exposure causes intrauterine fetal growth restriction ( IUGR), although its effects on fetal proportionality are less clearly defined. Aim: The present study assessed fetal proportionality in babies with IUGR using maternal salivary cotinine to indicate maternal smoking

  19. Regional Variations in the Prevalence of Major Congenital Malformations in Quebec: The Importance of Fetal Growth Environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Jin-Ping; Sheehy, Odile; Bérard, Anick

    2015-01-01

    Congenital anomalies are the consequence of a complex interaction between genetic predisposition and fetal environment. Based on the Congenital Anomalies Surveillance in Canada Report, between 1998 and 2007 the rate of congenital heart defects in Quebec was significantly higher than the Canadian average; no data on the overall prevalence of congenital anomalies for Quebec or data on regional variations in any province are available. To estimate the prevalence of major congenital malformations (MCMs) in all of the 17 administrative regions of Quebec. Using data from the Quebec Pregnancy Cohort, we included infants if they were born between January 1, 1998 and December 31, 2008. MCMs were identified within the infant's first year of life using validated ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes. The rate of MCMs was calculated and stratified on Quebec's administrative regions. Among 152,353 eligible infants, the prevalence of MCMs was 36.6 (all rates were reported as per 1,000 live births). The regions with the highest rate of MCMs were Lanaudière (48.1), Laval (45.8), and Mauricie (45.1). Regions with the lowest rate were Outaouais (13.4), Côte-Nord (19.1), Abitibi-Témiscamingue (27.5), Gaspésie-îles-de-la-Madeleine (27.9), and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (28.9). Congenital heart defects (10.3) and musculoskeletal anomalies (12.6) were the most common. Laval had the highest rate of heart defects (16.1), and Lanaudière had the highest rate of musculoskeletal anomalies (22.0). The central regions of Quebec had high rate of MCMs, whereas the relatively genetically homogenous peripheral regions of Quebec had lower rate of MCM, suggesting the importance of fetal growth environment in the etiology of MCMs in Quebec.

  20. Acute heart failure associated with congenital complete atrioventricular block due to neonatal lupus: case series report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Velasquez F, Carlos J; Correa, Cindy; Molina, Monica; Fernanda, Luisa; Velasquez, Nataly; Diaz, Luis H

    2010-01-01

    Neonatal lupus (NL) defines a set of clinical syndromes characterized by maternal autoantibodies against the RNA protein complex (Ro/SSA or La/SSB) that cross the placenta and potentially lead to fetal tissue damage. Little is known about other cardiac manifestations of NL different from congenital heart block (CHB), as heart failure (HF). Four cases of LN with BCC and acute HF at the first three days of life on average were reported. No complications or deaths were reported at 4,9 months of follow-up. All infants had anti-Ro high titles at the time of diagnosis.