Fetal Echocardiography and Arteriovenous Malformartions (AVM)

  • Dr Nawal AlAbdulkarim, Prince Sultan Cardiac Center, Saudi Arabia

  • Introduction: (AVM) are important noncardiac cause of heart failure in neonates and young infants, therefore antenatal detection and monitoring are essential for proper management.Objective: Assess fetal cardiac findings in patients diagnosed antenatally with (AVM).Method: Retrospective Review of consecutive Fetal Echocardiograms then Patients diagnosed antenatally with (AVM)/ Aneurysm of vein of Galen (AVG) at a tertiary care cardiac center.Results : Total number of Fetal echocardiograms were 1460, 4 patients had (AVG) two underwent Successful occlusion by catheter intervention and two died #1 and #4, patient #5 had Large Pulmonary fistula which was occluded successfully by catheter intervention, as illustrated in Table 1, all patients had progressive course with increased combined cardiac output, Conclusions: 1.Fetal Echocardiography is useful in diagnosis and prediction of management and outcome of patients with (AVM).2.Presence of severe multiple congenital anomalies /hydrops/pseudocoarctation/ marked increase in combined cardiac output or (MR with AVG) could be predictors for poor prognosis of patients with ( AVM)/(AVG).

    Patient # Sex Type of AVM Cardiomegaly Pericardial Effusion/Hydrops/ Pseudocoarctation TR MR Chamber dilatation Foramen Flow
    # 1 F Aneurysm of vein of Galen (AVG) + >24 weeks __ + __ SVC/RA/RV R >> L
    # 2 M (AVG) + >24 weeks __ + __ SVC/RA/RV R >> L
    # 3 F (AVG) + >24 weeks __ + __ SVC/RA/RV R >> L
    # 4 F (AVG) + >24 weeks + + + SVC/RA/RV R >> L
    # 5 M Pulmonary (AVM) + >24 weeks __ + + Pulmonary veins/LA/LV L >> R