title: Fetal myocardial performance (Tei) index in fetal hemoglobin Bart's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effectiveness of Tei index in differentiating fetal Hb Bart's disease in pregnancies at risk in the first half of pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pregnancies meeting the inclusion criteria were consecutively recruited to the study. The inclusion criteria were as follows: 1) singleton pregnancies, 2) gestational age of 12 - 20 weeks, 3) at risk of Hb Bart's disease, 4) confirmed fetal diagnosis of Hb Bart's disease. Fetuses with frank hydrops fetalis or fetuses with chromosomal abnormalities or structural anomalies were excluded. Tei index was performed and immediately recorded before invasive prenatal diagnosis was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 152 fetuses, 50 were finally proven to be affected by Hb Bart disease, and the remainder was unaffected. Mean (± SD) Tei index were 0.48 ± 0.07 and 0.54 ± 0.08 in group of unaffected and affected fetuses, respectively. The mean difference was 0.05 which was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Likewise, mean (± SD) isovolumetric contraction time (ICT) in normal fetuses were also significantly different from that of affected fetuses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the first half of pregnancy, Tei index in the fetuses with Hb Bart's disease was significantly higher than that in normal fetuses implying that Tei index may be a novel useful and non-invasive tool for early detection of fetal Hb Bart's disease among pregnancies at risk.
authors: Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chiang Mai University, Thailand.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Luewan
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Tongprasert
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Srisupundit
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Tongsong
mesh_terms: D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D005318:Fetal Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006455:Hemoglobins, Abnormal; D006801:Humans; D015160:Hydrops Fetalis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology; D013577:Syndrome; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal; D017085:alpha-Thalassemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging
chemical_list: D006455:Hemoglobins, Abnormal; C030448:hemoglobin Bart's