How serious is echogenic intracardiac focus?

If there is more than one bright spot, they are called echogenic foci. This common ultrasound finding is seen in about 1 out of every 20 or 30 pregnancies (~3-5%). An echogenic intracardiac focus (EIF) does not affect health of the baby or how the baby’s heart works.

Does EIFs go away?

This is thought to represent mineralization, or small deposits of calcium, in the muscle of the heart. EIFs are found in about 3–5% of normal pregnancies and cause no health problems. EIFs themselves have no impact on health or heart function. Often the EIF is gone by the third trimester.

How do you treat echogenic focus?

No treatment is required for this condition. The echogenic focus may go away on its own or it may not, but it doesn’t affect a child’s cardiac function so there is no need for treatment or even follow-up testing to see if it is still there.

Is echogenic intracardiac focus Normal?

An echogenic intracardiac focus (EIF) is a relatively common finding, even in otherwise normal fetuses. It is not a structural abnormality, but rather represents calcified deposits in the fetal heart that appear as bright spots on prenatal ultrasound.

What causes echogenic focus?

The cause of an echogenic intracardiac focus is unknown. It is possible that calcium deposits in the muscle wall of the ventricles may cause these spots. Calcium is a natural mineral found in the body. Areas of the body that have more calcium, such as bones, show up brighter on an ultrasound.

What does a white spot on a baby’s heart mean?

An intracardiac echogenic focus (ICEF) is a bright white spot seen in the baby’s heart during an ultrasound. There can be one or multiple bright spots and they occur when an area of the heart muscle has extra calcium. Calcium is a natural mineral found in the body.

What causes echogenic cardiac focus?

It is caused by a disorder in chromosome 21 and can result in a number of developmental issues for the child. It is irreversible and needs to be managed from birth. If the ultrasound has revealed an echogenic intracardiac focus and the doctor suspects a chromosomal mutation, amniocentesis may be requested.

Is EIF a marker for Down syndrome?

An echogenic intracardial focus (EIF) is an ultrasound „soft marker“ for aneuploidy, most commonly for Down syndrome and trisomy 18. An EIFs are found in about 5% of all fetuses during second trimester sonography. An EIF seems like a small bright spot in the baby’s heart ventricle.

Does echogenic focus go away?

Most EIF seen in the middle of the pregnancy will not go away before delivery. Since they do not cause problems for the baby, additional ultrasounds to follow-up on the EIF are not needed.

What does it mean to have an Echogenic intracardiac focus?

An echogenic intracardiac focus (EIF) means that a bright spot was identified in the baby’s heart on prenatal ultrasound. The bright spot is thought to be caused by a small build up of calcium within the baby’s heart muscle.

What causes a baby to have an echogenic focus?

The cause of EIF is unknown. Nothing the mother did or didn’t do caused the EIF, and it has nothing to do with a mother’s age, health, lifestyle, or the number of pregnancies she’s had. An echogenic focus poses no health risk to the fetus, and when it is born, there are no risks to the baby’s health or cardiac functioning.

How often does an ultrasound show an echogenic foci?

If there is more than one bright spot, they are called echogenic foci. T his common ultrasound finding is seen in about 1 out of every 20 or 30 pregnancies (~3-5%). An echogenic intracardiac focus (EIF) does not affect health of the baby or how the baby’s heart works. This finding is generally considered a normal variation.

How often does Echogenic intracardiac ( EIF ) occur in women?

It is estimated to occur in approximately 3-5% of all pregnancies and is even more common in certain ethnicities (occurs in 10-30% of pregnancies with Asian ancestry). What risks are associated with an EIF?