Assessment of left ventricular pre-ejection period in the fetus using simultaneous magnetocardiography and echocardiography. Fetal Diagn Ther 2010;28(3):167-74
Date
10/27/2010Pubmed ID
20975278Pubmed Central ID
PMC2992646DOI
10.1159/000318345Scopus ID
2-s2.0-78049422338 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 23 CitationsAbstract
INTRODUCTION: Fetal magnetocardiography (fMCG) is a promising new technique for assessing fetal rhythm; however, no prior studies have utilized fMCG to evaluate human fetal electromechanical physiology. Pre-ejection period (PEP) is an important measure of the electromechanical activation of the heart, and is altered by disease states and arrhythmias.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A novel technique was used to assess fetal PEP and its relationship to other fetal systolic time intervals, RR interval, and gestational age (GA). 25 normal human fetuses between 19 and 38 weeks' gestation were studied using simultaneous pulsed Doppler ultrasound and fMCG. Correlations among PEP, ejection time, QRS width and RR interval were assessed using linear regression.
RESULTS: Across all subjects, PEP was found to correlate with GA (R = 0.57, p < 0.0001), QRS width (R = 0.35, p = 0.026), and RR interval (R = 0.37, p = 0.018). In individual sessions, PEP negatively correlated beat-to-beat with the preceding RR interval.
CONCLUSION: PEP exhibits developmental trends that provide a better understanding of the normal development of the human fetal heart.
Author List
Mensah-Brown NA, Wakai RT, Cheulkar B, Srinivasan S, Strasburger JFAuthor
Janette F. Strasburger MD Professor in the Pediatrics department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Echocardiography, DopplerFemale
Fetal Heart
Gestational Age
Heart Rate, Fetal
Heart Ventricles
Humans
Magnetocardiography
Pregnancy
Stroke Volume
Systole
Ventricular Function
