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Case Reports
. 2024 Aug 24;11(9):1037.
doi: 10.3390/children11091037.

Parvovirus B19 Infection in Pregnancy-Course of the Disease, Fetal Complications and Management Tools: A Case Series and Literature Review

Olga Olejniczak  1 , Jakub Kornacki  1 , Daniel Boroń  1   2 , Paweł Gutaj  1 , Rafał Iciek  1 , Ewa Wender-Ożegowska  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Parvovirus B19 Infection in Pregnancy-Course of the Disease, Fetal Complications and Management Tools: A Case Series and Literature Review

Olga Olejniczak et al. Children (Basel). .

Abstract

Parvovirus B19 is a virus that causes a common and usually harmless infection in both children and adults. If the virus is transmitted transplacentally during pregnancy, it can have serious consequences for both the pregnant woman and the fetus. Potential complications include severe fetal anemia, which can lead to intrauterine fetal death. A common ultrasound finding in fetuses affected by parvovirus B19 is fetal edema, which is associated with a poor prognosis. Additionally, a rare but serious complication in pregnant women with parvovirus B19 infection is mirror syndrome. The diagnosis of parvovirus B19 infection during pregnancy necessitates close monitoring of the fetal condition. If fetal anemia is suspected, intrauterine transfusion is indicated to increase fetal survival. This study presents eight cases of parvovirus B19 infection in pregnant women, highlighting the various maternal-fetal complications encountered, along with diagnostic and treatment strategies.

Keywords: cordocentesis; fetal anemia; fetal hydrops; intrauterine transfusion; mirror syndrome; parvovirus B19.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Case 4: Doppler results and treatment strategy presented in a flowchart.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Case 4: Edema of fetal subcutaneous tissue; no signs of resolution of hydrops; (a) before first intrauterine transfusion, 20 weeks of gestational age; (b) after third intrauterine transfusion, 24 weeks of gestational age.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Case 5: Thickening of the placenta; after second intrauterine transfusion, 25 weeks of gestation.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Case 5: Doppler results and treatment strategy presented in a flowchart.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Case 6: Doppler results and treatment strategy presented in a flowchart.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Case 6: Total resolution of ascites (a) before first intrauterine transfusion, 24 weeks of gestational age; (b) 2 weeks after second intrauterine transfusion, 28 weeks of gestation.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Case 7: Abnormalities in the fetal heart ultrasound: (a) pericardial effusion before the first intrauterine transfusion, 21 weeks of gestation; (b) regurgitation of the mitral valve and total resolution of pericardial effusion, 2 weeks after the second intrauterine transfusion.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Case 7: Doppler results and treatment strategy presented in a flowchart.
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