Leeds Fetal Medicine Unit Website

Echogenic Cardiac Focus

Definition	Echogenic (bright) area seen on ultrasound within the fetal heart
Incidence	3-4/100 fetuses at 20 weeks (higher in asian populations)
Diagnosis	Ultrasound
Gestation at diagnosis	16-18 weeks
Known chromosomal or genetic association	Yes Trisomy 21 and Trisomy 13, but very low predictive value
Further investigations	Karyotype only in the presence of other abnormalities or "soft" markers
Differential Diaganosis	Rhabdomyoma AV septal defect
Prognosis	Excellent in absence of abnormla karyotype
Recurrance risk	Low
Research Studies	None

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