Analysis of the application value of speckle-tracking imaging technology to assess fetal cardiac function in the early second trimester

Abstract Objective We explored the usefulness of speckle-tracking imaging (STI) to assess cardiac function in fetal congenital heart disease in the early second trimester. Method A total of 151 pregnant women with a singleton pregnancy who underwent early fetal echocardiography in our hospital were randomly selected. There were 39 fetuses with congenital heart disease and no significant cardiac configuration change was visualized in the four-chamber view in all cases (case group) and 112 healthy fetuses (control group). STI was performed in both groups to measure fetal left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) endocardial-myocardial global longitudinal strain (GLSendo), time to peak longitudinal strain (TTPS), fractional area change (FAC), and LV ejection fraction (LVEF). Parameters were compared between the two groups, and correlation analyses were performed. Results LVEF, LV FAC, and RV FAC did not significantly differ between groups. The LV GLSendo and RV GLSendo were significantly lower in the case group (P < 0.05). The LV TTPS and RV TTPS were negatively correlated with fetal heart rate in each group. After heart rate correction, the TTPS was significantly longer in the case group. Conclusion STI may be more sensitive than conventional imaging for detection of fetal myocardial deformation and function in the early second trimester.