EP09.25: Longitudinal behaviour of left ventricular strain in subtypes of growth‐restricted fetuses

To determine fetal left ventricle function evaluated by 2D speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) in fetal growth restriction (FGR) subtypes. Global (GLO) and segmental LV longitudinal strain were serially measured in a cohort of consecutive fetuses diagnosed with FGR. Evaluations were performed at various points from diagnosis to delivery, with at least 2 measurements performed for each fetus, at least 2 weeks apart. All parameters were transformed into z-scores (Zs). FGR was classified into subtypes according to our local classification, based on fetal weight centile and Doppler parameters. A linear mixed model to analyse repeated measures was performed for each parameter to assess their behaviour throughout gestation and compare evolution of Zs measurements between groups throughout pregnancy. A total of 89 evaluations were obtained, 9 from small for gestational age (SGA) fetuses and 80 from FGR fetuses. Among FGR fetuses, 66 were stage I, 9 stage II, and 5 were stage III-IV. SGA and stage I FGR showed significantly higher values of LV GLO than stages III-IV, with SGA also showing better values than stage II FGR throughout gestation. No significant differences were found between SGA and FGR stage I for LV GLO behaviour. Severe FGR fetuses show significantly lower LV GLO than SGA fetuses, showing cardiac dysfunction early on related to the degree of hypoxia that is present. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.