Dm. Blake et al., IS A 5-STEP APPROACH TO FETAL ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY FEASIBLE THROUGHOUT PREGNANCY, American journal of perinatology, 12(4), 1995, pp. 290-293
The purpose of th is study was to determine whether gestational age im
pacted on the length of time required to obtain or identify (not scrut
inize) views of the fetal heart considered essential for a complete ex
amination, Fetal heart studies were performed in pregnancies of 60 pat
ients who were recruited prospectively. These patients were placed in
three gestational age groups. A 5-step approach to fetal echocardiogra
phy was formulated for study purposes and included imaging of cardiac
structures considered essential for a complete examination. Data were
analyzed by Duncan ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficient. Among th
e three gestational age groups, there were no significant differences
in the length of time needed to obtain views that comprised the 5-step
approach. in this study the time needed to scrutinize each view for n
ormality was excluded. Furthermore, there was no correlation between g
estational age and the length of time taken to obtain all essential ca
rdiac views. The presence of factors cited to be hindrances to fetal h
eart examination was not associated with prolongation of time needed t
o identify essential views of the heart when a 5-step approach was uti
lized throughout pregnancy.