Heart Morphometry in Standard Second Trimester Scan

<b>Introduction:</b> Routine second trimester anomaly scans include standard cardiac planes, yet detailed cardiac morphometry is not part of current practice. We hypothesized that a comprehensive set of cardiac measurements could be obtained from these standard views without prolonging examination time and with clinically meaningful reproducibility. <b>Methods:</b> We conducted a prospective study involving ninety-two uncomplicated singleton pregnancies undergoing routine second trimester anomaly scans. Cardiac measurements were obtained using standard ISUOG/SRUOG planes, both during the examination and offline. Feasibility, reproducibility, and the impact on scanning time were evaluated, and results were compared with established reference ranges. <b>Results:</b> All morphometric measurements were successfully obtained in 100% of included cases. Mean "screen time" increased only minimally from 35.45 min (95% CI 32.9-38.0) to 38.75 min (95% CI 36.1-41.4), with a non-significant mean difference of 3.30 min (<i>p</i> = 0.063). Most z-scores fell within ±2 SD. Intra-observer reproducibility ranged from fair to excellent, with strong correlations for major cardiac dimensions (r > 0.80 for multiple parameters). <b>Conclusions:</b> Comprehensive fetal cardiac morphometry can be integrated into the routine second trimester anomaly scan using standard imaging planes, without prolonging the examination. This approach may support earlier recognition of atypical growth patterns or cardiac remodeling.

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Publication Details

Journal
Diagnostics
Published
2025-12-04
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics15233088
Primary Topic
Prenatal Screening and Diagnostics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Heart Morphometry in Standard Second Trimester Scan

M. Bennásar, Agnesa Preda, Maria-Cristina Comănescu, A. Comanescu et al.
Diagnostics
Prenatal Screening and Diagnostics
article

Heart Morphometry in Standard Second Trimester Scan

M. Bennásar, Agnesa Preda, Maria-Cristina Comănescu, A. Comanescu, Dragoş Ovidiu Alexandru
article en

Abstract

<b>Introduction:</b> Routine second trimester anomaly scans include standard cardiac planes, yet detailed cardiac morphometry is not part of current practice. We hypothesized that a comprehensive set of cardiac measurements could be obtained from these standard views without prolonging examination time and with clinically meaningful reproducibility. <b>Methods:</b> We conducted a prospective study involving ninety-two uncomplicated singleton pregnancies undergoing routine second trimester anomaly scans. Cardiac measurements were obtained using standard ISUOG/SRUOG planes, both during the examination and offline. Feasibility, reproducibility, and the impact on scanning time were evaluated, and results were compared with established reference ranges. <b>Results:</b> All morphometric measurements were successfully obtained in 100% of included cases. Mean "screen time" increased only minimally from 35.45 min (95% CI 32.9-38.0) to 38.75 min (95% CI 36.1-41.4), with a non-significant mean difference of 3.30 min (<i>p</i> = 0.063). Most z-scores fell within ±2 SD. Intra-observer reproducibility ranged from fair to excellent, with strong correlations for major cardiac dimensions (r > 0.80 for multiple parameters). <b>Conclusions:</b> Comprehensive fetal cardiac morphometry can be integrated into the routine second trimester anomaly scan using standard imaging planes, without prolonging the examination. This approach may support earlier recognition of atypical growth patterns or cardiac remodeling.

DiagnosticsVol. 15(23)
Hospital Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona (ES), University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova (RO), University of Craiova (RO)
Openalex Percentile: Top 50%
Prenatal Screening and Diagnostics
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