Fetal magnetocardiography in the investigation of congenital heart defects.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the changes of the fetal magnetocardiography (FMCG), a new noninvasive diagnostic tool in the analysis of electrophysiologic changes of the heart, in cases of congenital heart defect (CHD).

METHODS

The FMCG was analysed and compared to the postnatal ECG in eight cases of CHD: atrial septal defect ASDII (three cases), a combination of atrioventricular-septal-defect (AVSD) and Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) (one case ), complete transposition of great arteries (d-TGA) (two cases), coarctation of aorta (COA) (one case), stenosis of the pulmonary artery (PS) and right ventricular hypoplasia (one case).

RESULTS

(1) The following FMCG changes were observed: a split R-wave (AVSD/TOF, ASDII), prolongation of QRS complex (COA, PS). (2) The notch of the R-wave could not be observed in the newborn with AVSD/TOF. (3) Neither the fetal FMCG nor the neonatal ECG revealed any changes in the cases of d-TGA. (4) All other neonatal ECGs were corresponding to the FMCG.

CONCLUSIONS

The FMCG can unearth changes of the cardiac electrophysiologic activity in the case of CHD. The method provides additional information concerning the effect of a CHD on the cardiac conductory system. As in the neonate, the FMCG changes do not reflect the severity of the CHD. FMCG cannot serve as a primary diagnostic tool in the case of CHD as compared to echocardiography.