CHSJ

Curr Health Sci J, vol. 48, no. 3, 2022

Postmortem Evaluation of First Trimester Fetal Heart

[Review]

D. Ruican(1,5), A.M. Petrescu(1), A.M. Istrate-Ofiteru(1,2,3), D.G. Iliescu(1,4)


(1)Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Emergency County Hospital, Craiova, Romania
(2)Research Centre for Microscopic Morphology and Immunology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania
(3)Department of Histology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania
(4)Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania,
(5)Doctoral School, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania


Abstract:

Due to rapid technology advancement and increasing diagnostic expertise, fetal medicine is rapidly improving. Prenatal diagnostic advancements made it possible to identify structural abnormalities in fetuses as early as the first trimester of pregnancy. However, to validate the echocardiographic diagnosis that led to the pregnancy termination, the termination of pregnancy owing to severe fetal deformities should be audited in accordance with a correct anatomic diagnosis. Following the PRISMA declaration, a systematic literature search was done to find articles on post-mortem first trimester human fetal heart evaluation. Thirteen suitable studies were found using the search method. It is theoretically possible to examine the human fetal heart after death in early pregnancy however these methods are not widely available due the costs associated with the procedure and the equipment, the effects of tissue coloration and distortion brought on by the fixation and contrasting processes (for micro-CT), the current requirement for a skilled operator to acquire, reconstruct, and process the images, and data storage requirements greater than those of conventional clinical scans.


Keywords: Postmortem first trimester fetal heart, virtual autopsy, congenital heart disease.



Corresponding: Anca Maria Ofieru-Istrate, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Emergency County Hospital Craiova, e-mail: ancaofiteru92@yahoo.com


DOI 10.12865/CHSJ.48.03.01 - Download PDF
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