Abnormal ductus venosus streaming toward the right heart may provide an anatomical and pathophysiological rationale for the prognostic differentiation between „liver-up“ and „live…

Background Definition of the liver position in fetuses with left diaphragmatic hernia has become one of the two main determinants for counseling about disease severity and postnatal prognosis in this condition. This study sought to provide an anatomical and pathophysiological rationale for this differentiation by searching for an association of liver position and ductus venosus streaming patterns. Patients & Methods We prospectively studied 22 fetuses with left diaphragmatic hernias between 19+6 and 38+6 weeks of gestation employing multimodal echocardiography. Eleven fetuses had an intrathoracic liver position…