Intracardiac echogenic focus: no apparent association with structural cardiac abnormality

Abstract

Objective: The aim of our study was to evaluate whether intracardiac echogenic foci (ICEFs) may be associated with increased risk for structural cardiac anomalies in the low-risk population.

Methods: During a 24-month period, 3,744 low-risk patients were prospectively screened for ICEFs by prenatal sonography. The study group was composed of 138 fetuses (3.7%) with ICEF. The control group was composed of 167 fetuses without ICEF. In all fetuses a complete echocardiographic evaluation was performed.

Results: Among the 138 fetuses in the study group, 108 (78%) ICEFs were found in the left ventricle, 25 (18%) were found in the right ventricle, and 5 (4%) were found to be bilateral. No statistically significant difference was found between the study and the control group regarding the presence of cardiac anomalies. Only 1 case (0.7%) of pulmonic stenosis was found in the study group, compared to 1 case (0.6%) of bicuspid aortic valve in the control group.

Conclusions: We conclude that ICEFs found in low-risk patients are not associated with a significant increase in the risk of cardiac anomalies.