Enhanced coronary blood flow and abnormal blood flow in the aortic isthmus in severe fetal anemia.
Coronary arteries are not normally visualized by fetal echocardiograms. Reversal of flow in the transverse aortic arch is most often seen in association with severe coarctation. We describe a case of a near-term fetus whose fetal echocardiogram showed very prominent coronary arteries and severe reversal of flow in the transverse aorta suggestive of a coarctation who was postnatally confirmed to have normal intracardiac and aortic anatomy. We discuss the pitfalls in clinical diagnosis in this case to alert pediatric cardiologists of transient perturbations in physiology masquerading as heart disease.
Ramaswamy
P
P
Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Maimonides Medical Center, 4802 10th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11219, USA. pramaswamy@maimonidesmed.org
Greenstein
G
G
Friedman
D
D
Burgess
T
T
Haberman
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000751:Anemia, Neonatal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D001017:Aortic Coarctation / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology*; D003326:Coronary Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color; D005260:Female; D005318:Fetal Heart / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal