Echogenic intracardiac focus

Case contributed by Alexandra Stanislavsky
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Antenatal scan at 22 weeks.

Patient Data

Gender: Female
ultrasound

Echogenic focus is noted within the fetal left ventricle.  Sequential reduction in ultrasound gain shows that this is well and truly "as bright as bone".

Case Discussion

An echogenic intracardiac focus is a soft marker for Down syndrome, but is also seen in 3-5% of normal pregnancies.  As an isolated finding in this young patient, the adjusted risk for aneuploidy remains low.

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