Affiliation:
1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College Nanchong China
Abstract
ObjectiveTo examine the effect of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) on fetal heart morphology.MethodsThis case–control study was conducted with 40 women with ICP and 54 pregnant controls. Fetal heart quantification based on speckle tracking technology was used to assess the morphology of the fetal right and left ventricles. Routine ventricular size parameters, global and 24‐segment spherical indices (SIs) were measured and compared between groups.ResultsThe routine fetal cardiac parameters, global and right‐ventricular SIs did not differ between the ICP and control groups. The left‐ventricular apical (segments 16‐24) SIs were lower in the ICP group than in the control group (P < .05), with no significant difference in the other left‐ventricular segments.ConclusionsSubclinical morphological changes were observed in the left ventricular apical segments of the fetal hearts in women with ICP, which indicates an intrauterine environment with high bile acid concentrations. Twenty‐four‐segment SIs can be used to effectively evaluate these changes.