Echocardiography for Management of Cardiovascular Disease in Pregnancy.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be a leading contributor to maternal mortality and morbidity. Echocardiography is an essential tool for patients with suspected and known CVD to establish symptom etiology, treatment strategy, and prognosis. We summarize the current status of conventional and novel techniques for assessment of CVD during pregnancy.

RECENT FINDINGS: Conventional techniques are still useful for evaluation of known or suspected CVD. Advanced technology using speckle tracking continues to evolve and is increasingly applied for diagnosis of subclinical disease including hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Precise recommendations on how frequently echocardiography should be performed and for whom remain in flux. However, a recently published consensus statement and new screening tool for pregnancy assessment of patients with valvular heart disease provide additional advice on using this modality. Echocardiography remains the diagnostic modality of choice for evaluation and risk stratification in pregnancy.