What does AV concordance mean in a fetal heart?

Prepare for the Fetal Echocardiography Test. Utilize flashcards and multiple-choice questions that come with hints and explanations. Ace your exam preparation!

AV concordance means the right atrium connects to the right ventricle through the tricuspid valve and the left atrium connects to the left ventricle through the mitral valve. This normal arrangement ensures each atrium channels blood into its matching ventricle, which then pumps to the appropriate circulation. In fetal echocardiography, confirming this alignment in the four-chamber view is a standard way to assess normal anatomy. If the connections were swapped—right atrium to left ventricle via the mitral valve and left atrium to right ventricle via the tricuspid valve—that describes AV discordance. The idea that the ventricles give rise to opposite great arteries describes ventriculoarterial discordance, another separate pattern. The notion of bicuspid valves in both AV canals isn’t a description of normal AV concordance and points away from the correct pattern.