Impact of Prenatal Diagnosis of Congenital Heart Disease on Outcome

Abstract

Prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease has been shown to have a positive impact on postnatal morbidity and mortality for some, but not all cardiac lesions. Overall, prenatal diagnosis has a positive impact on lesions with duct-dependent systemic or pulmonary circulation and where there is failure of mixing in transposition of the great arteries. The impact on other lesions such as septal defects, tetralogy of Fallot or total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage does not show improvement of outcome based on current evidence.