1. It will not permanently affect your baby's heart. No special treatment or tests are needed at delivery. An echogenic intracardiac focus (EIF) is a small spot (sometimes two spots) in the fetal heart that appear to be as white as bone during an ultrasound examination. The specialist said that any one of those 4 things would be nothing to worry about but since I had all 4 they wanted to do further testing since 2 are signs of Downs syndrome and 2 are signs of triploidy. Expanded video and phoneconsultation appointments are also available through theMy Health Connectionpatient portal. Can be observed 1 in 5 pregnancy, during second and third trimester. EIF occurs in as many as 5 percent of all pregnancies. Please specify a reason for deleting this reply from the community. Midwife called with Anatomy results and they found a shadow where baby's heart is. Gynecol. An EIF in the fetal heart may indicate an increased chance of the baby having a chromosome problem. 2019 Nov;5(3):E98-E106. Mine also has it. The site is secure. They told me the only association of an EIF is Down syndrome but if youve had other blood work done and your odds for Down syndrome came back low (the 1 in 10,000) the EIF is most likely nothing. Please select a reason for escalating this post to the WTE moderators: Connect with our community members by starting a discussion. doi: 10.1055/a-1118-3974. in high-risk pregnancies,there is an increased incidence of aneuploidic anomalies (e.g. or 817-882-2400, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd. Well, in 1995, a study was done by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital on 1334 pregnant women found that babies with a documented echogenic intracardiac focus had a significant risk of Down syndrome. Skip to Page Content, Refine your search: We got to see our precious little one and see the baby moving around! Intracardiac echogenic foci are very frequent findings during routine fetal ultrasound examination and sometimes a reason for referral of patients for fetal echocardiography. My husband and I just went to our anatomy scan. my baby has an EIF and I decided to do an amnio because if my baby had Down syndrome I wanted to know. Echogenic intracardiac focus (EICF) is defined as a focus of echogenicity comparable to bone, in the region of the papillary muscle in either or both ventricles of the fetal heart . However, not all studies agree that there is any connection to Down syndrome. Some of these can be quite scary, particularly when the patient sees them in electronic medical records or imaging reports without context from a doctor. Latest: 10 days ago | saradork 2 sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal An echogenic intracardiac focus (EIF) does not affect health of the baby or how the baby's heart works. Though typically harmless, the defect also carries a slightly higher risk for chromosomal conditions such asDown syndrome. which is a little cute if you think about it! Your Pregnancy Matters, Mental Health; Meta-analysis of validity of echogenic intracardiac foci for calculating the risk of Down syndrome in the second trimester of pregnancy. Like many topics about pregnancy, the echogenic intracardiac focus is surrounded by myths that scare the pregnant couple and that lack any scientific evidence or logic. There you have it, youre done with your first radiology lecture. An echogenic intracardiac focus is a hyperechogenic spot (aka bright spot) that is seen on a babys ultrasound in utero; the most common location of this bright spot is the left ventricle of the heart. It is associated with a higher risk of Down syndrome but in most cases, it's just a benign finding. The first thing patients should know is just because your doctor picks something up on an ultrasound doesn't mean your baby is sick. Results: What this means is that from the patients perspective, the heart is located on his left side and so its considered to be a left-sided organ by physicians. EIF has no impact on heart function before or after birth and almost never requires follow-up testing.If a patient has already had an amniocentesis orchorionic villus sampling (CVS), or even a cell-free fetal DNA screen, then all of these findings are even less important. My baby has this thing, and a level 2 ultra sound won't be able to tell me if she actually has downs or another chromosomal disorder. The dr. I guess this is a soft marker for downs syndrome but since there is only this marker, everything else on the scan was perfect, and I'm low risk, its unlikely that this means my baby has downs. An echogenic focus on its own poses no health risk to the fetus, and when the baby is born, there are no risks to their health or cardiac functioning as a result of an EIF. Significance of fetal intracardiac echogenic foci in relation to trisomy 21: a prospective sonographic study of high-risk pregnant women. December 2013. The second and third findings are markers, which means theyre loosely associated with (but not causes of) chromosomal conditions such as trisomy 21, or Down syndrome. Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Meta-Analysis of Second-Trimester Markers for Trisomy 21, January 2013. May cause obstruction to mitral/ tricuspid/ aortic or pulmonary valve. Of course I googled it and it says it common in Asian babies which my baby will be half Asian. As weve said earlier, most cases of echogenic intracardiac findings are seen in the second trimester. The presence or absence of an echogenic intracardiac focus was noted. Four of 22 fetuses (18%) with trisomy 21 had an echogenic intracardiac focus, compared with 62 (4.7%) of 1312 fetuses without Down syndrome who also had an echogenic intracardiac focus (P = .004). I'm already terrorized at the chance that this could mean something bad, but I'm for sure not going to do an amnio. Unable to process the form. Amniocentesis is very accurate; however, there is a risk of miscarriage which occur in 0.51% of women who have amniocentesis. 2. 9. Current lifestyle trends are incorporated too: juice bars, raw diets, e-cigarettes, push presents, baby bump posting, the lowdown on omega-3 fatty acids, grass-fed and organic, health food fads, and GMOs). Will it continue to get bigger? But its really just a little fluid buildup that is seen in the middle of the pregnancy and is usually gone by about 6 months of gestation. Find advice, support and good company (and some stuff just for fun). She said that it's nothing to worry about but it could be a marker for Down Syndrome. 203, 2nd floor, 71 Raintree, 2nd lane, Hindu colony, Near Swaminarayan temple Dadar East . 2001 Jun;20(6):655-74. doi: 10.7863/jum.2001.20.6.655. Most importantly, advanced maternal age during the pregnancy. If an EIF is the only notable finding on the ultrasound, it is considered an "isolated" finding and nothing to worry about. I have to go back in 3 weeks since they couldnt get all of the anatomy scanned since he was being super stubborn, and theyll go from there to determine if I should do any further testing. 2022 Mar;65(2):145-155. doi: 10.5468/ogs.21216. An intracardiac echogenic focus (ICEF) . The tightness of the association between an isolated EIF and aneuploidy continues to be debated. To determine whether an echogenic intracardiac focus identified in the second-trimester fetus is related to an increased risk of Down syndrome. Home Blog Echogenic focus in fetal heart to worry or not to worry, Endocardial fibroelastosis and dilated dysfuntional LV. Note that once you confirm, this action cannot be undone. 8 found an isolated echogenic focus to be 8% sensitive in . Keep me posted! I couldn't find many videos about EIF findings and I thought others might be looking for one to help ease their mind. I did the NIPT testing and it flagged me high risk for triploidy so I had to see a fetal specialist. Wrede E, Knippel AJ, Verde PE, Hammer R, Kozlowski P. Ultrasound Int Open. We also have an echogenic focus, along with a couple other soft markers for downs. Among the 1334 patients in the study group, 66 fetuses (4.9%) had an echogenic intracardiac focus. I had an amnio done same day and 48 hours later the FISH results were back and negative for all trisomies and triploidy. Anderson N, Jyoti R. Relationship of isolated fetal intracardiac echogenic focus to trisomy 21 at the mid-trimester sonogram in women younger than 35 years. A normal amniocentesis result means the EIF is not significant and there would be no other concerns about it. I'm 29 and have no other risk factors but I guess these only show in 5% of normal pregnancies. We can find multiple bright spots in the babys heart! They said it could be a marker for Down syndrome, but often times its not and it resolves on its own. Surprisingly, this finding is quite common. The 18-23 week scan. Sonographic markers of fetal trisomies: second trimester. The only thing was an echogenic foci spot on his heart. My question is why bother? All Rights Reserved, We use cookies to enhance your experience while using our website. EIF a sonographic finding consisting of a bright echogenic area in the heart of fetus with a brightness similar to a bone 1 that moves synchronically towards atrioventricular valves. Poorly Controlled seizure unusual presentation of long QT sydrome. University of Colorado OB-GYN 20122022 | Terms of use | Privacy Policy| Website by Vanguard Communications, Womens Sexual Health Consultation Service, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. If you shoot X-ray beams at the mothers uterus, the fetus will be vulnerable and the consequences are rather dire; ranging from simple harmless DNA mutations to complete malformations of the newborn. He said it happens in 1-5% of pregnancies. 4. 1998;170 (4): 1083-4. government site. It is so common in babies with Asian ethnicity that it can't even be used as a marker. Well always give you an honest answer. EIF appear to be caused by deposits of calcium in the muscles or tendons of the heart. EIFs are found in about 3-5% of normal pregnancies and do not cause any health problems. In association with some other anomaly, doctor may ask for genetic evaluation. At the end of this evaluation, if a SUA is the only red flag, theres almost never cause for concern for the babys health. If there are no problems or chromosome abnormalities, EIFs are considered normal changes, or variants. Doctors involve in this clinics having vast experience in this field. (2003) ISBN:1588902129. December 2013. Anderson N, Jyoti R. Relationship of isolated fetal intracardiac echogenic focus to trisomy 21 at the mid-trimester sonogram in women younger than 35 years. He does have a speech delay but I dont think there is any correlation. EIFs are found in about 35% of normal pregnancies and cause no health problems. Most commonly found in the left ventricle of the developing heart,. I dont have any advice but I had my anatomy scan today and they want to check him for coarctation of the aorta. Group Leaders arent expected to spend any additional time in the community, and are not held to a set schedule. J. Obstet. I couldn't find many videos about EIF findings and I thought others might be looking for one to help ease their mind. I am googling and stressing myself out and I know it's not good for the baby either. An echogenic intracardiac focus can be seen in No further exploration is needed and regular checkups should be scheduled normally. EIF is more frequently found in babies whose mothers have Asian ancestry. She said it was nothing to worry about and it's very common and should not pose any risk. Isolated Echogenic Cardiac Focus: Assessing Association with Trisomy 21 by Combining Results from a Prenatal Center with a Bayesian Meta-Analysis. Your odds are not increased of having a baby with downs with just an echogenic focus. The word cyst implies something that shouldnt be there, and a cyst that has formed in the brain really sounds scary. New Patient Appointment, Appointment "Some ultrasound findings, like an echogenic intracardiac focus (EIF) are frequently detected on ultrasound," Dr. Chao says. Group Leaders communicate with staff moderators and escalate potential violations for review, but they dont moderate discussions. 2019 Oct 11;22(4):253-264. doi: 10.1002/ajum.12180. Would you like email updates of new search results? She said she will sent the pictures to be reviewed and a write up will be completed for my doctor to review with me. We respect everyones right to express their thoughts and opinions as long as they remain respectful of other community members, and meet What to Expects Terms of Use. "An EIF is a bright spot in one of the chambers of the . J Ultrasound Med. He also said that the echogenic focus will go away either before or after birth. 2005;192 (6): 2021-6. A few days later I get a call from my OB saying that baby is growing appropriate and everything looked great BUT there was a white spot found in his heart called Echogenic Intracardiac Focus. eCollection 2021. Although it can be associated with some genetic conditions such as Down syndrome, in most cases, its a fairly benign finding with no other implications. 1388 Replies. I guess this is a soft marker for downs syndrome but since there is only this marker, everything else on the scan was perfect, and I'm low risk, its unlikely that this means my baby has downs. intracardiac echogenic foci,karyotype analyses revealed trisomy 21in14(2%)fetuses.The sonographically identifiable intracardiac echo-genic focimeasured 1-2mm indiameter. If you think you may have been exposed to the new coronavirus, COVID-19 (either through travel to ahigh risk areaor close contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19), pleasecontact usbefore visiting. Should I be worried about EIF on ultrasound? This page was last edited on 3 February 2022, at 20:50. 2004;23 (7): 895-8. The ultrasound tech said that everything looked good. EIF prenatal ultrasound findings The provider said it could be a soft marker for Down syndrome, or could turn out to be nothing to worry about at all. Find a Doctor An echogenic intracardiac focus (or EIF) is a small bright spot seen on a developing babys heart during an ultrasound. At the time the article was last revised Jeremy Jones had no recorded disclosures. Just got back from my specialist ultrasound and everything is 100% normal. A Group Leader is a What to Expect community member who has been selected by our staff to help maintain a positive, supportive tone within a group. Manning JE, Ragavendra N, Sayre J et-al. Epidemiology They are thought to be present in ~4-5% of karyotypically normal fetuses. Similar to choroid plexus cysts, this marker might indicate a chromosomal condition if paired with other worries on the ultrasound or an increased risk for Down syndrome or trisomy 13 on a prenatal screen. 89 (6): 945-8. They are typically seen as a small bright echoic focus within the fetal heart on a four chamber view (often as bright as bone). Entezami M, Albig M, Knoll U et-al. If there is more than one bright spot, they are called echogenic foci. J Ultrasound Med. Bright spot seen in heart during evaluation of fetus. Also I dont know if it will be reassurance for you or not but the extremely reputable specialist we saw talked to us about what exactly causes the Echogenic intracardiac foci and said that its super common to have 1 show up, its just where dense tissue comes together and since the heart is a muscle its not rare. Create an account or log in to participate. Its a classic bestseller book with over 18 million copies sold. You already had the harmony test and got good results, so at this point you should just try to relaxand enjoy your healthy pregnancy! I had the same thing told to me at my ultrasound today . High chances of fetal demises when diagnosed in utero. If the baby has normal chromosomes, there would be no associated problems to be concerned about. So we had our anatomy scan today and everything was normal but an Echogenic intracardiac focus showed on the babies heart which I guess can be a sign of Down syndrome. Echogenic intracardiac focus is a marker for potential birth defects and chromosomal abnormalities such as trisomy 18 or trisomy 21 (down's syndrome). Involves sub valvar apparatus of tricuspid or mitral valve. I guess Im just looking for anyone who has gone through something similar? We might do extra ultrasounds in the third trimester just to check on the babys growth, but nothing else needs to be done there are no long-term complications. If you are using our Services via a browser you can restrict, block or remove cookies through your web browser settings. Incidence in normal fetuses = 4.8% ; Incidence in Down syndrome = 18% . My husband has history of heart murmur that dissolved on it own. official website and that any information you provide is encrypted Echogenic bowel, which means the bowel area appears brighter than normal Choroid plexus cysts (CPC), a fluid-filled space in the brain which appears as a cyst and is not considered a brain abnormality, which is more commonly associated with trisomy 18 Renal pyelectasis, which means the main area of a kidney is enlarged
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echogenic intracardiac focus should i be worried