Study of global left atrial shortening in fetuses of diabetic mothers.
OBJECTIVE
To test the hypothesis that left atrial shortening fraction is lower in fetuses of diabetic mothers than in fetuses of mothers with no systemic disease.


METHODS
Forty-two fetuses of mothers with previous diabetes or gestational diabetes and 39 healthy fetuses of mothers with no systemic disease (controls) underwent echocardiographic examination. Their gestational ages ranged from 25 weeks to term. The left atrial shortening fraction was obtained with the following formula: (left atrial maximum diameter - left atrial minimum diameter)/left atrial maximum diameter. Data were compared using the Student t test, with an alpha level of 0.05.


RESULTS
Mean left atrial shortening fractions in fetuses of diabetic mothers and in those in the control group were 0.39 +/- 0.15 and 0.51 +/- 0.11, respectively. This difference was significant with P < 0.001.


CONCLUSIONS
Left atrial dynamics, with a reduction in global left atrial shortening, is increased in fetuses of diabetic mothers. We speculate that this parameter may be useful in assessing fetal left ventricular diastolic function.
Zielinsky
Paulo
P
Instituto de Cardiologia do RS, Fundação Universitária de Cardiologia, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. zielinsky.pesquisa@cardiologia.org.br
Satler
Fabíola
F
Luchese
Stelamaris
S
Nicoloso
Luiz Henrique
LH
Piccoli
Antonio L
AL
Gus
Eduardo I
EI
Manica
João Luiz
JL
Scheid
Marlui
M
Marcantonio
Silvana
S
Hatem
Domingos
D
D016640:Diabetes, Gestational; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D005318:Fetal Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011254:Pregnancy in Diabetics; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*