To investigate the clinical value of evaluation of fetal cardiac function in congenital heart disease by brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and velocity vector imaging (VVI).

Fetuses who came from Shenzhen Maternity & Child healthcare Hospital were divided into the congenital heart disease group and the control group. At the same time we collected amniotic fluid and assayed BNP concentration. Using the VVI software, the velocity, strain and strain rate of the global and segmental of the left ventricle were measured. Comparison and correlation were made between the two groups.

There was significantly difference of BNP concentrations in amniotic fluid between two groups. The gestational age had significant positive correlation with BNP concentrations in disease group. The comparison of global velocity, strain and strain rate of left ventricle between the two groups showed significant differences. All of the left ventricular dynamic parameters in disease group were lower than those of the control group.

Compared with the control group, the disease group had a high level of BNP in amniotic fluid and a lower level of dynamic parameters of left ventricular. There was a positive correlation between BNP concentration and gestational age in disease group. So we can conclude that the BNP concentration can be a biological parameter for evaluating the latent impairments of fetal cardiac function.