OBJECTIVE: To determine whether intracardiac echogenic foci (ICEF) are markers of congenital heart disease (CHD) in fetuses with chromosomal abnormalities. METHODS: We identified all fetuses with chromosomal abnormalities undergoing targeted sonography at 17 weeks' to 21 weeks 6 days' gestation in a single perinatal center from January 1, 1994, to June 30, 2003. Offspring with and without CHD were compared for the presence or absence of ICEF. RESULTS: Two (8%) of 25 fetuses with ICEF had CHD versus 38 (33.3%) of 114 fetuses without ICEF (P = .006). Similarly, 1 (5.5%) of 18 fetuses with trisomy 21 and ICEF had CHD compared with 16 (37.2%) of 43 fetuses with trisomy 21 without ICEF (P = .009). CONCLUSIONS: Intracardiac echogenic foci in fetuses with chromosomal abnormalities, including those with trisomy 21, are not useful markers for CHD.
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether intracardiac echogenic foci (ICEF) are markers of congenital heart disease (CHD) in fetuses with chromosomal abnormalities. METHODS: We identified all fetuses with chromosomal abnormalities undergoing targeted sonography at 17 weeks' to 21 weeks 6 days' gestation in a single perinatal center from January 1, 1994, to June 30, 2003. Offspring with and without CHD were compared for the presence or absence of ICEF. RESULTS: Two (8%) of 25 fetuses with ICEF had CHD versus 38 (33.3%) of 114 fetuses without ICEF (P = .006). Similarly, 1 (5.5%) of 18 fetuses with trisomy 21 and ICEF had CHD compared with 16 (37.2%) of 43 fetuses with trisomy 21 without ICEF (P = .009). CONCLUSIONS: Intracardiac echogenic foci in fetuses with chromosomal abnormalities, including those with trisomy 21, are not useful markers for CHD.