The following learning module is meant to be an introduction to normal fetal cardiac anatomy.
Essential components of the fetal echocardiogram include anatomic overview, biometric examination, cardiac imaging views, Doppler examination, and examination of rhythm and rate.
The goal of fetal cardiovascular imaging is to evaluate the cardiac anatomy, ventricular function, and fetal hemodynamics. The key components of the fetal heart examination has been established, however, the order of acquisition may vary from patient to patient depending upon fetal presentation and fetal lie within the maternal uterus. Therefore, before the assessment of the fetal heart, the uterine cavity should be assessed to determine number of fetuses present within the uterus. Once the number of fetuses is determined, fetal position and presentation should be established via an inferior to superior sweep starting at the pelvis and via a transverse view of the abdomen.
Click on the highlighted blue links to proceed through a normal fetal cardiac assessment.