Introduction

Fetal cardiac calcifications are defined as diffuse hyperechogenicity within the heart. This fetal ultrasound finding associated with myocardial dysfunction is uncommon in human beings and has never been documented in animals.

Objectives

To report a case of canine fetal myocardial calcifications and cardiac dysfunction diagnosed prenatally on ultrasound.

Methods

Ultrasonography was performed in a French Bulldog bitch at approximately 60 days of gestation.

Results

The bitch held 2 fetuses, and one of them had cardiac alterations. Systolic impairment was clearly observed in transverse view, especially within the interventricular septum (IVS). Also, a hyperechoic line was observed all throughout the left ventricle, continuing on toward the right ventricle. The bitch was forwarded to caesarean section, and the fetuses died within an hour of birth. No pathological signs existed on macroscopic evaluation. However, while the heart of the normal fetus lacked alterations under light microscopy, mineralization areas were found close to the endocardium portion of the other fetus' myocardium. This finding spread over both ventricles and the IVS. The IVS was thinner when compared to the other fetus and contained less contractile muscular fibers, being left mostly with Purkinje fibers. It also had a hemorrhagic aspect, with mild multifocal mononuclear infiltration.

Conclusions

The cause of these alterations could not be identified. However, many possible complications are known to cause these signs in people, including intrauterine infection with associated myocarditis, circulatory compromise, malformations or chromosomal abnormalities. In summary, myocardial calcification may be associated with myocardial dysfunction, which results in a poor prognosis.

Figure 1 Canine ultrasonographic image of a French Bulldog around 60 days of gestational period. A hyperechoic line is visible all throughout the left ventricle, and partially in the right ventricle (arrow), in transversal (A) and longitudinal (B) echocardiographic views. LV, left ventricle; RV, right ventricle.