Objective To assess maternal morbidity and outcome in women undergoing minimal-access fetoscopic surgery for spina bifida aperta. Methods

In fetuses with d-TGA, prenatal sonographic findings of increased pulmonary venous blood flow and flattened FO valve were associated with the need for a Rashkind procedure within the first 24 h postnatally; these echocardiographic features could be used to predict prenatally a need for the procedure following delivery. Copyright © 2017 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Thorough antenatal evaluation should include karyotyping, detailed extracardiac and intracardiac assessment to accurately predict the risks of surgery. Prenatal counseling might be modified after the exclusion of additional anomalies. These data provide up-to-date information for parental counseling.

In our population the procedure-related fetal loss rate was 0.4 % after AC and 1.1 % and 0.4 % after CVS and FBS, respectively. Different gestational ages at the time of invasive procedures might account in part for those differences. Vaginal bleeding during the first trimester is associated with increased procedure-related fetal loss. Overall, declining numbers of invasive procedures are the result of changing attitudes toward invasive procedures and more sophisticated noninvasive prenatal screening programs over the last 20 years.

Performance of myocardial 2D strain analysis by wall-motion tracking was feasible with 30 and 60 fps. Obtained global and segmental LPSS values of both ventricles were relatively independent from acquisition rate.

Diagnosis of APVS is feasible within first trimester. Outcomes remain guarded, especially if first trimester diagnosis is included into the analysis because of associated karyotypic anomalies, the presence of hydrops fetalis, and patent ductus arteriosus. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Objective The primary objective of this study was to determine the feasibility and reproducibility of 2-dimensional speckle tracking imaging based on the wall motion tracking (WMT) technique in fetal echocardiography. The secondary objective was to compare left and right ventricular global and segmental longitudinal peak strain values. Methods A prospective cross-sectional study was performed. Global and segmental longitudinal peak strain values of the left ventricle (LV) and right ventricle (RV) were assessed prospectively. Based on apical 4-chamber views, cine loops were acquired and digitally stored. Strain analysis was performed offline. Intra- and interobserver variabilities were analyzed. Results A total of 29 healthy fetuses with an echocardiogram performed between 19 and 37 weeks of gestation were included. Analysis was performed with a temporal resolution of 60 frames per second (fps). For both examiners, in all cases Cronbach?s alpha was>0.7. The interobserver variability showed a strong agreement in 50% of the segments (ICC 0.71?0.90). The global strain values for LV and RV were ?16.34 and ?14.65%, respectively. Segmental strain analysis revealed a basis to apex gradient with the lowest strain values in basal segments and the highest strain values in apical segments. Conclusion The assessment of fetal myocardial deformation parameters by 2D WMT is technically feasible with good reproducibility.

Right ventricular function in HLHS is altered as early as in fetal life, well before palliative surgery is performed. Future research should provide further insight into ventricular remodeling during gestation in cases of HLHS. Copyright © 2015 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.