How serious is an echogenic focus found in heart?

An echogenic focus on its own poses no health risk to the fetus, and when the baby is born, there are no risks to their health or cardiac functioning as a result of an EIF. It is considered a variation of normal heart anatomy and is not associated with any short- or long-term health problems.

Should I worry about echogenic focus?

But echogenic intracardiac focus (EIF) is almost never something to worry about. It shows up as a bright spot on the heart in imaging, and it’s thought to be a microcalcification on the heart muscle. EIF occurs in as many as 5 percent of all pregnancies.

Can echogenic focus go away?

Will the EIF 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, there is no special concern if they are still visible at a later time. For this reason, no ultrasound follow-up is needed to watch for changes in the EIF.

What is echogenic focus in fetal heart?

An echogenic intracardiac focus is a small bright spot seen within the region of the heart seen during an ultrasound examination. Most commonly found in the left ventricle of the developing heart, it is important to understand that it doesn’t affect the functioning of the heart per se.

Does echogenic focus mean Down syndrome?

Conclusion: Fetuses with an echogenic intracardiac focus have a significantly increased risk of Down syndrome. Although most fetuses with this finding are normal, patients carrying fetuses with an echogenic intracardiac focus should be counseled about the increased risk of trisomy 21.

What is meant by echogenic focus?

Echogenic intracardiac focus (EIF) is a small bright spot seen in the baby’s heart on an ultrasound exam. This is thought to represent mineralization, or small deposits of calcium, in the muscle of the heart.

What is the meaning of echogenic focus?

Echogenic intracardiac focus (EIF) is a small bright spot seen in the baby’s heart on an ultrasound exam. 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.

Can Down syndrome be identified at 20 week ultrasound?

Ultrasound scans aren’t a full-proof way of testing for Down syndrome in babies. They can detect some indications of potential markers that are commonly seen in Down Syndrome babies but can’t give a definitive answer. A Detailed Anomaly Scan done at 20 weeks can only detect 50% of Down Syndrome cases.

What causes echogenic focus heart?

An echogenic intracardiac focus (or EIF) is a small bright spot seen on a developing baby’s heart during an ultrasound. The cause of EIF is unknown, but the condition is generally harmless. EIF is considered a normal pregnancy variation, but prenatal screening tests may be desirable to test for any abnormalities.

What causes echogenic focus left ventricle?

Echogenic foci within the left ventricle of the fetal heart represent papillary muscle mineralization. Until more data are available to investigate any possible association with aneuploidy, an echogenic focus in the left ventricle should still be considered a normal variant.

An echogenic intracardiac focus is linked to a suspected cardiac malformation or may lead to a congenital heart defect at birth. However, the most worrisome effect that it may have is that it signals the presence of Down’s syndrome .

What is echogenic foci?

Echogenic intracardiac foci are normally described as discrete areas of echogenicity comparable with bone in the region of the papillary muscle in either cardiac ventricle (12). Echogenic intracardiac foci are thought to represent calcifications within the fetal papillary muscle, and may be the result…

What is echogenic cardiac focus?

Echogenic Cardiac Focus. An echogenic cardiac focus (ECF, also known as echogenic chordae) refers to a bright spot seen in the fetal heart by ultrasound.