IEF in left ventricle of the heart..

[bbyno1]

has anyone had any experience of this?
the sonographer wrote it in my notes after my 12 week scan and i didnt think much of it but now im getting closer im really starting to worry
i asked my midwife yesterday what it meant and all she had to say was that it was known to be linked to down syndrome

does anyone kow anything more?xx

edit:IEF-not sure what the I stands for but EF=Echogenic focus..x

 

[emilyjade]

not sure hunni but if it was bad they would of explained more im sure maybe ask again or ring your hospital and ask them for more information x

 

[Jadelm]

I believe it's a soft marker for down's syndrome but they only really get concerned when other makers are present (e.g. no nasal bone/bowel problems) or you have a high risk of DS. If they haven't mentioned further testing then I honestly wouldn't worry about it xxx

 

[bbyno1]

thanks alot
i just cant help but worry..iv read that sometimes this can dissapear so im gnna ring my hospital on monday and ask if somehow they could give me another scan to see if it has dissapeared or she still has the echogenic focus..x

 

[Jadelm]

I know how it feels to have that worry hun Deffo ring them up if you want your mind put at ease, fingers crossed they'll have a little look for you. xxx

 

[bbyno1]

aww iv just read your post aswell..let me know how everything goes and fingers crossed for you but im sure everything'l be just fine
im reallyy worrying now not that id no way get rid of my baby or anything like that id just like to know for sure to be prepared i guess x

 

[sonographer01]

Dont worry about it - its nothing. Dunno why sonographers are still mentioning them , weve been told not to bother!

 

[genies girl]

one of my babys has echogenic focus, they only told us as we have a high downs risk, the sonographer said they are very common and on there own they are not worth mentioning them , aparently they often clear up as time goes on.
If they havent mentioned anything to you and you have no other cause for concern i wouldnt wory too much .
In my case im glad its only the focus they can find and not some of the other markers x

 

[bbyno1]

aww..
how comes they have told you that your high risk even tho you have no other markers?
im waiting for the midwife to ring me back and im going to try going for a level 2 ultrasound scan as iv read so many stories on the internet about people going for these..x

 

[genies girl]

nuchal scan result was 2.8mm which put me at 1.16 chance of downs but they cant find any other evidence and growing nicely. Ive just put it to back of my mind.
Hope the results work out for you hun x

 

[bbyno1]

bump x

 

[1four1cooking]

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.

EIFs themselves have no impact on health or heart function. Often the EIF is gone by the third trimester. If there are no problems or chromosome abnormalities, EIFs are considered normal changes, or variants.

 

[bbyno1]

EIFs are found in about 3-5% of normal pregnancies

its that sentance that worries me..
does that mean about the other 95-97% ?:S x

 

[1four1cooking]

EIFs are found in about 3-5% of normal pregnancies

its that sentance that worries me..
does that mean about the other 95-97% ?:S x

No actually it means that if you have three or more kids you are more likely to find it in one of those. I stats are confusing and scary but it means that it happens more often than people realize it means that if three women at the same gestational age were sitting in a room one would have it. It seems like it should be the other way around but when I read the info on it is said that this is the type of thing that is found most often. If your Dr/MW thought there was real concern you would be going to an internal specialist that deals with neonatal or gestational heart conditions. I would call your DR/MW and let them know that you need more info, as it is driving you mad. I went to the doc at 14 weeks and had an echo done on my heart and they found 2 leaky heart valves and my cardiac output, how much blood I release from my heart was only 55%. I freaked out. I have a heart condition but that was a low number I asked the PA what that meant and she said it was a little below normal normal ranges are 65-100 and that everyone has one leaky valve sometime in their life but they are very very mild and mine were medium and I shouldn't worry about it. I went through a whole week crying thinking I was dying and had a bad heart. My Doc said, at my next appointment that the reason it was normal was because I was pregnant. Every woman heart decreases by five to ten % in pregnancy and leaky valves show up when they weren't there to begin with due to the increase blood flow.

I know that this is not the same thing but I really think that they will probably schedule another scan,and unless the MW/doc makes a big deal out of it I would say that it is not a big deal.

 

[1four1cooking]

EIFs are found in about 3-5% of normal pregnancies

its that sentance that worries me..
does that mean about the other 95-97% ?:S x

I am sorry if those numbers sound scary and have frightened you one question I keep getting back is are there any other markers, that the u/s found, that relate to downs. All the information I have found on it, and you have to be pick and remember the source when researching, says that they look for triple markers. Usually before they find the EIF it has already been confirmed by two or more markers that your baby may have downs. This includes genetics, age, and having another baby with downs. If this is the only marker they found your chances of downs are very very slim. "usually there would be other markers and physical abnormalities that they would see. EIF's on their own really mean nothing. Please try not to worry" I don't know if I can give you this site on here so I will PM you and let you read this yourself it is a PDF form from a Kaiser that discusses EIF. I found very reassuring.

 

[bbyno1]

i ended up going to see a genetics councilor and he explained that because my blood results were 1 in 1,600 having the echo genic focus would not make my chance of having a downs any more or less..it would stick at that figure?
he said at my 20 week scan (when they found they IEF)he didt think there was any other soft markers as he has put that hes seen all the body parts of baby and they are fine..
he wouldt give me another scan to reassure me that there was no other markers because he said at the stage im at you wouldnt be able to pick it up?
and also said that sonographers have been told not to mention this IEF anymore!x

 

[bbyno1]

I had my baby girl and shes perfectly healthyx

 

[lil-star]

Thats excellent news, congrats