Myocardial Structural and Functional Assessment in Fetal Growth Restriction Infants-A Cohort Study.

Abstract

In this study, cardiac changes and catch-up growth were assessed in neonates with fetal growth restriction (FGR) over six months. A total of 77 FGR and 73 adequate-for-gestational age (AGA) neonates underwent biophysical profiling and echocardiographic assessment, including myocardial deformation analysis, within the first week of life. Follow-up evaluations were conducted at six months. Findings revealed that FGR neonates had smaller cardiac dimensions and reduced myocardial function, with significantly lower left ventricular global longitudinal strain and early diastolic strain rate, despite preserved ejection fraction. These abnormalities persisted at six months, even as biophysical profiles approached normal. However, the improvement in myocardial deformation was still lower than in AGA neonates, indicating ongoing subclinical myocardial dysfunction. The study highlights that while FGR infants may show catch-up growth, underlying cardiac functional differences remain, emphasizing the importance of long-term cardiac monitoring in this population to detect subtle but significant functional impairments.