Fetal Counseling for Congenital Malformations

Abstract

Fetal counseling is best achieved by a multidisciplinary team that can favorably influence the perinatal management of prenatally diagnosed anomalies and provide this information to prospective parents. Prenatal diagnosis has remarkably improved our understanding of surgically correctable congenital malformations. It has allowed us to influence the delivery of the baby, offer prenatal surgical management, and discuss the options of termination of pregnancy for seriously handicapping or lethal conditions. Antenatal diagnosis has also defined an in utero mortality for some lesions such as diaphragmatic hernia and sacrococcygeal teratoma so that true outcomes can be measured. The limitation of in utero diagnosis cannot be ignored. The aim of prenatal counseling is to provide information to prospective parents on fetal outcomes, possible interventions, appropriate setting, time and route of delivery, and expected postnatal outcomes, immediate and long term.