fetal right ventricular enlargement

Fetal right ventricular (RV) enlargement is an infrequently encountered situation in antenatal imaging.

Pathology

The right ventricle is the dominant ventricle during in utero development. Right ventricular enlargement can occur with a number of cardiac as well as non-cardiac anomalies.

• cardiac
  • hypoplastic left heart syndrome
  • interrupted aortic arch
  • aortic coarctation
  • ventricular septal defect
  • congenital pulmonary stenosis: tends to cause more wall hypertrophy rather than chamber dilatation
  • dilated fetal cardiomyopathy
  • more unusual cardiac etiologies may include :
    • Uhl anomaly
    • arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) 
• extracardiac
  • intrauterine growth restriction 

Radiographic assessment

Antenatal ultrasound - fetal echocardiography

The ventricular dimensions can be easily assessed on a standard four chamber view. In the normal situation both right and left ventricles should be roughly equal in size. The right ventricle is usually the most anterior of all the chambers in a four chamber view.

Siehe auch:

• Aortenisthmusstenose
• hypoplastic left heart syndrome
• Ventrikelseptumdefekt
• four chamber view
• intra uterine growth restriction
• Atresie der Aorta
• kongenitale Pulmonalstenose