Corpus callosum size by neurosonography in fetuses with congenital heart defect and relationship with expected brain oxygen supply patterns.

Introduction This study aimed to evaluate corpus callosum (CC) size by neurosonography (NSG) in fetuses with isolated major congenital heart defect (CHD) and explore the association with the type of CHD according to the main expected brain oxygen supply patterns. Methods A total of 56 fetuses with CHD and 56 controls were included. Fetuses with CHD were stratified into two different categories according to the main expected pattern of cerebral arterial oxygen supply: class A, severe reduction in oxygenated brain blood supply (left outflow tract obstruction and transposition of great vessels) and class B, near normal or mildly impaired oxygenated brain blood supply (other CHD). Transvaginal NSG was performed at 32-36 weeks in all fetuses to evaluate CC length, and total area and subareas in the midsagittal plane. Results Overall, CHD fetuses showed a significantly smaller CC area as compared to controls, especially affecting the most posterior part of the CC. These changes were more prominent in class A CHD fetuses with a linear trend across the three clinical groups (Controls: 9.01 mm2 vs. CHD class B: 8.18 mm2 vs. CHD class A: 7.53 mm2 , p Conclusions Fetuses with CHD presented a smaller CC. The differences were more marked in CHD fetuses with expected poorer brain oxygenation. CC size could be a clinically feasible marker of abnormal white matter development in CHD. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.