Tissue Doppler imaging in fetuses with aortic stenosis and evolving hypoplastic left heart syndrome before and after fetal aortic valvuloplasty.
OBJECTIVE
Fetal aortic valvuloplasty can improve filling and reduce afterload of the left ventricle in critical aortic stenosis. Success of an intrauterine intervention is currently measured by technical success, clinical survival and eventual postnatal biventricular physiology. In the present study we investigated the use of tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) to evaluate changes in ventricular function assessed before and after prenatal aortic valvuloplasty.


METHODS
Between October 2008 and December 2012, cardiac function was assessed by TDI before and after intervention in 23 fetuses that underwent technically successful valvuloplasty for critical aortic stenosis and in which postnatal outcome was known. The measurements were transformed into gestational age-independent Z-scores where appropriate.


RESULTS
Mean ± SD gestational age at intervention was 27.5 ± 3.1 weeks. Of the 23 fetuses, 14 had biventricular outcome. Before intervention all left ventricular (LV) TDI-derived parameters and mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE) were severely abnormal. It was possible to demonstrate considerably improved cardiac function after technically successful valvuloplasty. Among fetuses with postnatal biventricular outcome, TDI-derived LV myocardial peak velocity during early diastole (E') and myocardial peak velocity during systole in the ejection phase (S') significantly increased, E'/myocardial peak velocity during late diastole with atrial contraction (A') increased towards normal values, and LV transmitral-to-mitral-annular diastolic velocity ratio (E/E') and myocardial performance index (MPI') decreased but remained abnormally elevated. In addition, right ventricular A', S' and MPI' significantly improved after intervention.


CONCLUSIONS
Technically successful fetal aortic valvuloplasty led to significantly improved myocardial performance. It was possible to use TDI to detect distinct changes in ventricular function and TDI-derived parameters correlated with a biventricular outcome after birth. Copyright © 2015 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
The Children's Heart Center Linz, Linz, Austria.|Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
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Wohlmuth
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
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Wertaschnigg
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
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Wieser
Institute for Prenatal Medicine, Women's and Children's Hospital, Linz, Austria.
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Arzt
The Children's Heart Center Linz, Linz, Austria.
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Tulzer
D000328:Adult; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D063126:Balloon Valvuloplasty / Q000379:methods*; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005318:Fetal Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D018636:Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D011247:Pregnancy; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods; D016276:Ventricular Function
critical aortic stenosis; fetal cardiac intervention; fetal surgery; hypoplastic left heart syndrome; intrauterine valvuloplasty; tissue Doppler imaging