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CURRENT ASPECTS OF FETAL CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTION

Part of: Bespoke shallow archive Weizmann

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2008

HIKORO MATSUI  and
HELENA GARDINER
HIKORO MATSUI
Affiliation:
Perinatal Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London
HELENA GARDINER*
Affiliation:
Perinatal Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London
*
Dr Helena M Gardiner, Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital, Du Cane Road, London, W12 ONN, United Kingdom[email protected]
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Extract

Investigation of fetal cardiac function remains a challenging task. Although the response of the heart to changes in load is well-known in animal models and the adult human, the developmental changes in fetal cardiac response remain poorly characterised. However, quantitative evaluation of cardiovascular function is important to predict the clinical course and to manage the fetus optimally. To date, the routine evaluation of fetal cardio vascular function has relied largely on Doppler echocardiography which enables an estimate of haemodynamics; newer modalities such as measurement of myocardial velocities are employed less routinely. Fetal magnetic resonance imaging still lacks the resolution necessary to contribute significantly to morphological or functional assessment of the fetal cardiovascular system.

Type
Research Article
Information
Fetal and Maternal Medicine Review , Volume 19 , Issue 1 , February 2008 , pp. 61 - 84
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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