Incidence of fetal echogenic intracardiac foci in a Hispanic population

Echogenic intracardiac foci (EIF) are small areas of increased echogenicity inside the fetal ventricles. When isolated, they are considered to be a normal finding with prevalence differing among ethnic groups. It has been described as a weak marker for trisomy 21 and other chromosomal anomalies. Little information exists regarding the incidence of these foci among Hispanic fetuses. We examined prospectively 485 normal fetuses between 14 and 32 weeks of gestation from January through March 2001. Nine cases of isolated intracardiac foci were identified (incidence of 1.8 per cent). None of these cases had a chromosomal anomaly. Our data shows a frequency in our population similar to that reported among Caucasians.