Use of high-frame rate imaging and Doppler tissue echocardiography in the diagnosis of fetal ventricular tachycardia

Ventricular tachycardia has rarely been diagnosed in the fetus. We describe a 31-week-old fetus with ventricular tachycardia and severely depressed ve ntricular function. M-mode and 2-dimensional Doppler tissue echocardiograph y were used in this study to assess the nature of the arrhythmia. The compl ete atrioventricular dissociation inherent to the diagnosis of ventricular tachycardia was particularly easy to detect with M-mode Doppler tissue echo cardiography. Moreover, the onset and the pattern of propagation of the ven tricular arrhythmia could be easily identified with 2-dimensional Doppler t issue echocardiography. Doppler tissue echocardiography facilitates the dia gnosis of ventricular tachycardia and adds new information that is not avai lable by other techniques.