[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-430274-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-430274-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","diagnosis-of-major-cardiac-defects-through-routine-early-pregnancy-ultrasound-examination-abstract","Diagnosis of major cardiac defects through routine early pregnancy ultrasound examination - Abstract","","Early detection of major cardiac defects is crucial for managing affected pregnancies and improving prognosis. This retrospective study evaluated routine first-trimester ultrasound performance for detecting major cardiac defects in singleton pregnancies using a large cohort from a tertiary center between 2015 and 2023. Standardized protocols and high-resolution imaging were used to assess fetal nuchal translucency and cardiac structures across multiple gestational windows, including 11–13 weeks.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/","Healthcare",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/diagnosis-of-major-cardiac-defects-through-routine-early-pregnancy-ultrasound-examination-abstract/430274/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/diagnosis-of-major-cardiac-defects-through-routine-early-pregnancy-ultrasound-examination-abstract/430274.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Aurelia","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-05","2026-09-29",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",10,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What is the study objective regarding early pregnancy ultrasound?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"To evaluate how effectively routine first-trimester ultrasound examinations detect major cardiac defects in singleton pregnancies and how findings relate to pregnancy outcomes.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How were ultrasound examinations performed in the study?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Ultrasounds were conducted at multiple gestational age windows (11–14, 20–24, 28–34, and 34–38 weeks) using high-resolution equipment and standardized protocols to assess fetal nuchal translucency and cardiac structures.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What major findings were reported about detection and diagnostic performance?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Among 35,230 pregnancies, 270 (0.8%) major heart defects were identified. First-trimester scans showed 100% sensitivity and high NPV, with specificity of 93.85% and PPV of 90.27%, and agreement between early and later scans indicated by a Kappa value of 0.917.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},430274,1790766204,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,110,115,120,123,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":107,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},7,40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":112,"show_sort_weight":113,"slug":114},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":116,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":117,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":119},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":118,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":121,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":122},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":55,"slug":125},"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":107,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":111,"language":139,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":143,"read_time":118,"preview_page_count":4},1099514068365,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/10000253d8d9f28188e?_k=1776742907772140068","Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics (2026) 313:6  \n[https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-025-08284-0](https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-025-08284-0)  \nDiagnosis of major cardiac defects through routine early pregnancy ultrasound examination  \nJuixiang Ma1 · Yan He2 · Youming Lei3 · Mingying Yao4 · Wei Wei5  \nReceived: 6 July 2025 / Accepted: 9 November 2025 © The Author(s) 2025  \nAbstract  \nObjective Early detection of major cardiac defects is crucial for the management and prognosis of affected pregnancies. This study evaluated the effectiveness of routine first-trimester ultrasounds in detecting major cardiac defects in singleton pregnancies.  \nMethods This retrospective study (2015–2023) at a tertiary center included 35,230 singleton pregnancies undergoing routine ultrasounds at 11–14, 20–24, 28–34, and 34–38 weeks. High-resolution equipment and standardized protocols were used to assess fetal nuchal translucency and cardiac structure.  \nResults Among the 35,230 pregnancies studied, 270 cases (0.8%) of major heart defects were identified. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) was detected in 31 cases with a 90% detection rate, while ventricular septal defects (VSD) were the most common, found in 128 cases with a lower detection rate of 16%. Pregnancy outcomes varied significantly with gestational age: 55.9% of early detections (11–13 weeks) led to termination, while 63.9% of mid-term detections (18–22 weeks) resulted in live births. The first-trimester ultrasound scans demonstrated 100% sensitivity and Negative Predictive Value (NPV), with a specificity of 93.85% and a Positive Predictive Value (PPV) of 90.27% . The Kappa value of 0.917 indicated moderate agreement between early and later scans. Notably, early diagnosis (11–13 weeks) was associated with a higher rate of pregnancy terminations, while later diagnoses corresponded to higher live birth rates.  \nConclusion Routine first-trimester ultrasounds effectively detect major cardiac defects early. However, the high sensitivity but low specificity necessitates follow-up scans to confirm findings and reduce false positives, ultimately enhancing prenatal care.  \nKeywords First-trimester ultrasound · Major cardiac defects · Prenatal screening · Pregnancy outcomes  \n* Wei Wei [nikep1111@126.com](nikep1111@126.com)  \n1 Department of Obstetrics, Kunming Medical University First Affilliated Hospital, Kunming 650032, China  \n2 Department of General Practice, Yan’an Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650051, China  \n3 Department of Thoracic Surgery, Kunming Medical University First Affilliated Hospital, Kunming 650032, China  \n4 Department of Ultrasound Medicine Department, Kunming University of Science and Technology Affiliated Anning City First People’s Hospital, Kunming 650300, China  \n5 Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan University, Kunming 650021, China  \nIntroduction  \nEarly detection of major cardiac defects is crucial for the management and prognosis of affected pregnancies. Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are among the most common congenital anomalies, and their early diagnosis can significantly impact clinical outcomes [1–3] . Routine ultrasound examinations during early pregnancy provide a non-invasive method for identifying these defects, allowing for timely intervention and appropriate management [4, 5] . Detecting CHDs in the first trimester can guide decisions regarding the continuation of pregnancy, the need for fetal therapy, and the planning of delivery in specialized centers [6] .  \nAdvances in ultrasound technology have improved the accuracy and reliability of early pregnancy scans. These advancements enable detailed assessment of fetal cardiac structures, increasing the likelihood of detecting major cardiac defects at an earlier stage [7–9]. Standardized protocols  \nand training for sonographers are essential to ensure the quality and consistency of these examinations. Studies show that early detection of CHD","cbCaij8o1ngmORkI","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaij8o1ngmORkI","pdf",436868,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction\n# Methods\n## Study setting and participants","[{\"question\":\"What is the study objective regarding early pregnancy ultrasound?\",\"answer\":\"To evaluate how effectively routine first-trimester ultrasound examinations detect major cardiac defects in singleton pregnancies and how findings relate to pregnancy outcomes.\"},{\"question\":\"How were ultrasound examinations performed in the study?\",\"answer\":\"Ultrasounds were conducted at multiple gestational age windows (11–14, 20–24, 28–34, and 34–38 weeks) using high-resolution equipment and standardized protocols to assess fetal nuchal translucency and cardiac structures.\"},{\"question\":\"What major findings were reported about detection and diagnostic performance?\",\"answer\":\"Among 35,230 pregnancies, 270 (0.8%) major heart defects were identified. First-trimester scans showed 100% sensitivity and high NPV, with specificity of 93.85% and PPV of 90.27%, and agreement between early and later scans indicated by a Kappa value of 0.917.\"}]","Diagnosis of major cardiac defects through routine early pregnancy ultrasound examination - Abstract | PDF",1790652340]