ASE 2025 Research Spotlight 3

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Natalie Costantino
919-297-7170
[email protected]

Echocardiography Plays a Key Role in Maternal and Fetal Health during Pregnancy

(DURHAM, N.C., September 5, 2025)—Echocardiography is a powerful, noninvasive tool that provides early insight into the cardiovascular health of expectant mothers and their babies. At the American Society of Echocardiography’s (ASE) 2025 Scientific Sessions, taking place Sept. 5-7, in Nashville, Tenn., researchers from two studies will highlight how echocardiography can help detect cardiovascular risks and optimize maternal and fetal health.

Detecting Cardiac Dysfunction in Hypertensive Pregnancies

The first study, conducted by researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, explores how transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) with strain analysis can help detect early signs of heart dysfunction in pregnant patients with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide.

The study, titled “Association of Reduced Global Longitudinal Strain and Hypertension in Pregnancy: A Potential Screening Tool,” retrospectively evaluated 74 patients with one or more HDP and compared them to 51 healthy pregnant and 50 healthy non-pregnant individuals. It focused on global longitudinal strain (GLS), a sensitive marker of how well the heart muscle is functioning.

While there is currently limited data available on the association between hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and GLS, the study found that patients with hypertensive disorders had significantly reduced GLS compared to both healthy pregnant and non-pregnant control groups.

“Complications from high blood pressure affect about 1 in 7 pregnancies in the United States,” says Dr. Evan Klein, the study’s lead author. “Our research adds to growing evidence that a simple heart ultrasound could help doctors identify at-risk patients sooner and better protect mothers and babies.”

These findings highlight the potential role of TTE with strain analysis as a valuable screening tool to identify early signs of heart dysfunction in pregnant patients with HDP, allowing for earlier intervention and improved maternal care.

Enhancing Prenatal Heart Care with Echocardiography

The second study, titled “Diagnostic Discrepancy in Prenatally Detected Congenital Heart Defects: A Multi-Center Quality Improvement Pilot Study,” examines the rate, preventability, and causes of fetal echocardiographic diagnostic discrepancies and how benchmarking data can improve prenatal care for infants with congenital heart disease (CHD).

Led by Dr. Stefani Samples, a pediatric and fetal cardiologist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, this retrospective multi-center study highlights the complexities of fetal echocardiography and its critical role in postnatal care planning.

The study evaluated nearly 350 cases of prenatally diagnosed CHD patients and compared the final fetal echocardiograms with the postnatal diagnoses to assess the presence and clinical significance of discrepancies. Researchers found that ten percent of the cases had a diagnostic change between the first and last fetal echocardiogram.

“Accurate prenatal diagnosis of CHD is vital to ensure families receive appropriate counseling, and that delivery and postnatal care are carefully planned for this group of complex medical patients,” said Dr. Samples. “Yet, even with advances in imaging, diagnostic challenges remain.”

The data from this study highlights the importance of continued collaboration among institutions to refine diagnostic accuracy of fetal CHD, helping to optimize outcomes for infants and equip families with reliable information to support informed decision-making.

“This study takes a closer look at the challenges affecting accurate fetal diagnosis of CHD and provides the most up-to-date benchmarking data on fetal echocardiographic accuracy across leading medical centers,” said Dr. Samples. “It also offers important insights to guide quality improvement efforts and enhance prenatal heart care.”

ASE 2025 will feature more than 450 research abstracts showcasing cutting-edge developments in cardiovascular ultrasound, along with case studies demonstrating breakthroughs in patient care. Learn more about ASE 2025 and view the full list of ASE 2025 research abstracts in the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography.

About the American Society of Echocardiography
The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) is the Society for Cardiovascular Ultrasound Professionals™. ASE is the largest global organization for cardiovascular ultrasound imaging serving physicians, sonographers, nurses, veterinarians, and scientists and as such is the leader and advocate, setting practice standards and guidelines for the field. The Society is committed to advancing cardiovascular ultrasound to improve lives. In 2025, ASE is celebrating its milestone 50^th anniversary.  For more information, visit the ASE website ASEcho.org or social media pages on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Bluesky.

###