echogenic intracardiac focus should i be worried
Sep 9, 2023 
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Below are three fairly common ultrasound findings that you might come across. Epub 2020 Mar 9. I had the same thing told to me at my ultrasound today . Ultrasound Diagnosis of Fetal Anomalies. An echogenic intracardiac focus (or EIF) is a small bright spot seen on a developing babys heart during an ultrasound. EIFs are found in about 3-5% of normal pregnancies and cause no health problems. However, not all studies agree that there is any connection to Down syndrome. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Learn more about, Learn About What to Expect's Pregnancy & Baby App. or 817-882-2400, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd. Create an account or log in to participate. EIFs are found in about 3-5% of normal pregnancies and do not cause any health problems. Archived post. 2005-2023Everyday Health, Inc., a Ziff Davis company. You can also usethe portalto email your doctor. Echogenic Intracardiac Foci EIF are described as discrete areas of echogenicity comparable to bone in the region of papillary muscle in either cardiac ventricle. It shows up as a bright spot on the heart in imaging, and it's thought to be a microcalcification on the heart muscle. It is not healthy for you or the baby. Are intracardiac echogenic foci markers of congenital heart disease in the fetus with chromosomal abnormalities? The frequency of the detection of fetal echogenic intracardiac foci with respect to maternal race. eCollection 2019 Nov. Song Y, Xu J, Li H, Gao J, Wu L, He G, Liu W, Hu Y, Peng Y, Yang F, Jiang X, Wang J. The same logic applies here; the heart is a muscle. I would like to know if anyone has got EIT before and Im really worried as a first time mom, dr said its nothing to worry about, that its common and goes away. [2] Results take about two weeks. thank you! According to the MFM doc I saw, it is used as a marker for Down syndrome but only if a number of other signs are also noticed (small size, missing nasal bone, etc). First time mom here! EIF occurs in as many as 5 percent of all pregnancies. But on average, these babies weigh 6.5 pounds and arrive after 38 weeks of pregnancy not very small or very early. Surprisingly, this finding is quite common. Group Leaders communicate with staff moderators and escalate potential violations for review, but they dont moderate discussions. Although the EIF doesnt cause problems for the baby, some studies have suggested there could be a slightly increased risk for Down syndrome when this ultrasound finding is present. Epidemiology They are thought to be present in ~4-5% of karyotypically normal fetuses. The first thing you notice is that all your bones look white and bright on the X-ray; whereas, your muscles and soft tissues appear dark and invisible. G. GraceAriel. She said it was nothing to worry about and its very common and should not pose any risk. 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. 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. I ended up getting a level 2 ultrasound (for something else- my second baby was born with a birth defect and it could happen again), but they checked on the marker on the heart and the specialist said her daughter had one as well and it was nothing. Definition. Since they do not cause problems for the baby, additional ultrasounds to follow-up on the EIF are not needed. {"url":"/signup-modal-props.json?lang=us"}, Weerakkody Y, Goel A, El-Feky M, et al. The OB said the standard of care is to then proceed to a level 2 ultra sound. Ultrasonographic Soft Markers of Aneuploidy in Second Trimester Doctors involve in this clinics having vast experience in this field. 400014. Echogenic Intracardiac Focus: A bright white dot in the fetal heart An echogenic intracardiac focus (EIF) is a bright white spot in the fetal heart that looks like a tiny golf ball. 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. Shipp TD, Bromley B, Lieberman E et-al. Please select a reason for escalating this post to the WTE moderators: Connect with our community members by starting a discussion. my baby has an EIF and I decided to do an amnio because if my baby had Down syndrome I wanted to know. 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. When an echogenic intracardiac focus is identified in an otherwise normal second trimester fetus, a normal cell-free DNA test can be very reassuring and obviate the need for invasive testing. 2005-2023Everyday Health, Inc., a Ziff Davis company. Application of Copy Number Variation Detection to Fetal Diagnosis of Echogenic Intracardiac Focus During Pregnancy. But enough about that for now. 6. However, in any pregnancy, women are offered optional prenatal tests that can help find specific kinds of birth defects, including Down syndrome. LV was described as a duplicated focus. Should I be concerned if my baby's ultrasound shows a heart defect? Group Black's collective includes Essence, The Shade Room and Naturally Curly. Echogenic intracardiac focus | Radiology Reference Article The risk only becomes really significant when there are other risk factors involved in the pregnant woman. Why EIF is seen in some babies and not others is unknown. eCollection 2021. In other simple words, an echogenic intracardiac focus is nothing but the deposit of calcium and other minerals inside the hearts myocardium (another fancy word for the hearts muscle). An EIF in the fetal heart may indicate an increased chance of the baby having a chromosome problem. One of our twins had it. What do echogenic foci mean on ultrasound? 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. In short, medicine and physicians see things from the patients perspective. Please select a reason for escalating this post to the WTE moderators: Connect with our community members by starting a discussion. But once we have a little more information about your background and risk for congenital problems in the fetus, they rarely are cause for concern. Other factors are discussed in counseling include: The best available evidence suggests that an isolated echogenic intracardiac focus in the fetus of an otherwise low risk woman does not confer an increased risk of fetal aneuploidy. ElF is considered a normal variation in fetal development and has not been found to cause any long-term health problems or heart problems for the baby. Glad everything turned out well-hopefully I can say the same soon! So at my 20 week scan on Monday they found an EIF. We are still awaiting the full genetic karyotyping but the specialist didnt anticipate it showing anything serious. Echogenic Intracardiac Focus: A bright white dot in the fetal heart An echogenic intracardiac focus (EIF) is a bright white spot in the fetal heart that looks like a tiny golf ball. Winter TC, Anderson AM, Cheng EY et-al. I didnt ask her much questions because I was in shock but I am reading on it now and I think its the NIPT, I will ask more questions when I speak to the Genetics specialist. What do white spots on ultrasound mean? Several studies suggested a risk of about 1%. Echogenic intracardiac focus. An EIF does not generally impact the overall health of the baby or the development of his or her heart. EIF is considered a normal pregnancy variation, but prenatal screening tests may be desirable to test for any abnormalities. You see, in medicine, we use a sense of direction that is based on the patient. Researchers have noted an association between an EIF and a chromosome problem in the baby. The doctor will insert a thin needle into the patients abdomen until it reaches the amniotic sac where he/she can sample a few skin cells that physiologically shed from the baby.
