EIF aka bright spot on heart at ultrasound

[CG25]

hi everyone.. yesterday i had my 20 wk scan and found out im having a girl when i met with the dr to go over the results, he said everything looked great but the baby had a white spot on her heart. he acted very nonchalant and said it is very common and usually leads to nothing. he went on to say that he did not recommend any further testing or extra scans, and said he was happy with the scan results and that i shouldn't worry about this finding because everything else looked good and he only becomes concerned if this finding is coupled with "5 or 6 other abnormal findings."

of course when i got home i started googling all about it and discovered this bright spot is called an echogenic intracardiac focus, and while it is relatively common, it is sometimes associated with Down Syndrome. I'm 25 yo and my first trimester screenings put the baby at very low risk for DS..but it's just so hard not to worry about this even though I am trying to take solace in the fact that my doctor, who is excellent and i trust a lot, told me not to be concerned.

Has anyone else gone through this? I'm trying to keep myself off google!

 

[mzimm1]

hi everyone.. yesterday i had my 20 wk scan and found out im having a girl when i met with the dr to go over the results, he said everything looked great but the baby had a white spot on her heart. he acted very nonchalant and said it is very common and usually leads to nothing. he went on to say that he did not recommend any further testing or extra scans, and said he was happy with the scan results and that i shouldn't worry about this finding because everything else looked good and he only becomes concerned if this finding is coupled with "5 or 6 other abnormal findings."

of course when i got home i started googling all about it and discovered this bright spot is called an echogenic intracardiac focus, and while it is relatively common, it is sometimes associated with Down Syndrome. I'm 25 yo and my first trimester screenings put the baby at very low risk for DS..but it's just so hard not to worry about this even though I am trying to take solace in the fact that my doctor, who is excellent and i trust a lot, told me not to be concerned.

Has anyone else gone through this? I'm trying to keep myself off google!

I actually posted something similar to this last week with no responses.

I'm 23 weeks pregnant and they found EIF on my baby at my 20 week ultrasound as well. My baby actually had more than one on her heart. I was told everything was great, but when I read my report I saw in the comments section about the EIF and how it is a "soft marker" for down syndrome. Scared the crap out of me! I had a whole weekend on Dr. Google before I spoke to my nurse the following Monday. I didn't have any other "markers" either.

Anyway.. I was reassured just as you were! I found a thread on BabyCenter website from a few years ago (maybe 2008?) of women who had it on their ultrasounds and their babies all came out fine!

I'm curious, did you have any screenings earlier in your pregnancy? I didn't get the tests done because I'm only 27 and my doctor thought I didn't need them. (Now I'm regretting that decision).

From what I gather (I literally spent hours on Google), there has been new research done by doctors wanting that to not be included in the marker list. The risk of miscarriage from amniocentesis is higher than the risk of our babies being born with Down Syndrome.

Also, I read that only 3-5% of healthy women have these findings on the ultrasound, which really scared me. My husband (who is a doctor) reminded me that 5% is 1 in 20 women, which is much more common than the .1-.2% chance (At most with our age) of the baby being born with down syndrome.

Try not to worry too much! Also, if baby is born with Down Syndrome.. those are some pretty amazing kids! I've been fortunate enough to work with a few.

 

[CG25]

Hi thanks for sharing your experience it's nice to hear someone else going through the same thing! I only had the basic screening done - NT scan and bloodwork, which put my risk for DS lower than the average 25 year old. i know things are probably fine, but its so easy to worry! This is all super new to me .. Being a FTM and all
Are there any other less invasive options you're considering for screening at this point? my doctor offered me an extra ultrasound at 28 wks for my "peace of mind" as he put it, which I'll probably do

 

[CG25]

I also had the quad screening done, I meant to add.

 

[mzimm1]

There's not much else I can do for screening at this point (that I know of?) My doctor said they typically don't go away until close to or after birth, so a repeat ultrasound isn't necessary.

 

[Willow01]

I have no experience in this ladies but you could think about having the Harmony test for piece of mind? Good luck and I hope all is okx

 

[mzimm1]

I have no experience in this ladies but you could think about having the Harmony test for piece of mind? Good luck and I hope all is okx

I'm seeing my doctor August 6, and will ask her about it then. I assumed it would be too late in my pregnancy for that? Especially since I had a fetal maternal specialist already sit in on a detailed ultrasound. I really thought all these tests had to be done before 20 weeks. After looking it up, I see that Harmony can be done anytime throughout pregnancy, so I'll definitely bring it up! Thank you!

 

[Jaxvipe]

My daughter had one and she also had fluid on her kidneys. They told us the EIF was no big deal and lots of kids have them. We did end up getting a level 2 ultrasound but that was just for the fluid on the kidneys. The high risk dr said that it is nothing to worry about. My daughter was born perfectly heathy

 

[mzimm1]

My daughter had one and she also had fluid on her kidneys. They told us the EIF was no big deal and lots of kids have them. We did end up getting a level 2 ultrasound but that was just for the fluid on the kidneys. The high risk dr said that it is nothing to worry about. My daughter was born perfectly heathy

Thank you so much for responding! I'm glad your daughter was born healthy!! It's refreshing to hear something positive.

 

[CG25]

Oh wow thanks so much for sharing it's really nice to hear a positive story like yours!

 

[CandCsMom]

I am in the same situation as you ladies. MY dd has an eif in her left ventricle and I am freaked out. Have both of you had your babies?

 

[WantsALittle1]

CandCsmom, this thread is quite old so it may not be checked. If it's any consolation, I am 23+5 and my baby was diagnosed with an EIF at her 20-week scan despite a negative chromosomal test at 11 weeks. She had no other markers for trisomies so both my OB and perinatalogist said the chances of her having a trisomy are basically zero. At a follow up scan (Level II) the doctor said she wasn't fully convinced it was even an EIF. She told me the only definitive way to find out if a baby has trisomies is via amniocentesis. We declined, and have since learned that EIF is such a questionable finding that many prenatal practitioners wish they would just do away with acting on it altogether.

My OB reiterated that when EIF is the ONLY soft marker found, she has never had a single case be born with a trisomy. It's only when additional markers are found that she starts to get concerned.