BACKGROUND~Myocarditis and pericarditis are inflammatory conditions of the heart commonly due to viral or autoimmune etiologies. Human CMV represents one of the leading causes of congenital infections worldwide. There is limited data regarding the cardiac function of fetuses and infants with CMV.~OBJECTIVE~To provide insight regarding the presence of myocardial involvement in fetuses and infants with CMV infection.~PATIENTS & METHODS~Up to 100 fetuses with suspected CMV infection will be enrolled during a 3 years period. Patients will undergo detailed US examinations including dedicated neurosonography and echocardiography starting at the time of the first referral and every 3-4 weeks until delivery and at the 2-7th day birth. Cardiac scans of fifty pregnant women and the healthy women from the group will serve as controls~EXPECTED RESULTS~Subtle myocardial deformation abnormalities are expected to be commonly found in fetuses and infants with CMV infection.~CONCLUSIONS~The findings of this present study will underscore the need for cardiac screening of fetuses and infants with congenital CMV infection, with long-term follow-up to document the natural history and disease burden of CMV in this population.
BACKGROUND~Myocarditis and pericarditis are inflammatory conditions of the heart commonly due to viral or autoimmune etiologies. Human CMV represents one of the leading causes of congenital infections worldwide. There is limited data regarding the cardiac function of fetuses and infants with CMV.~OBJECTIVE~To provide insight regarding the presence of myocardial involvement in fetuses and infants with CMV infection.~PATIENTS & METHODS~Up to 100 fetuses with suspected CMV infection will be enrolled during a 3 years period. Patients will undergo detailed US examinations including dedicated neurosonography and echocardiography starting at the time of the first referral and every 3-4 weeks until delivery and at the 2-7th day birth. Cardiac scans of fifty pregnant women and the healthy women from the group will serve as controls