Detection of Functional Changes of the Fetal Heart in the First Trimester of Gestation Update

The authors consider the possibility of using color Doppler of the ductus venosus and the measurement of nuchal translucency as a screening test for alterations in fetal cardiac functions in the first trimester of gestation. Review of the literature suggests that the combination of the ultrasonographic measurement of nuchal translu-cency and Doppler at 10 and 14 weeks of gestation can be effective in detecting certain cardiac abnormalities. This conclusion, however, is preliminary and needs to be further investigated. It is almost always impossible to assess cardiac func-tion and anatomy in the first trimester of gestation. Monte-negro et al 1 propose the study by Doppler of the venous return to the heart in an attempt to indirectly measure cardiac function