Evaluation of Fetal Echocardiography as Antenatal Diagnostic Tool in Detection of Congenital Heart Diseases

Abstract

Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) are one of the most common fetal malformations; the aim of the present study was to assess the role of fetal echocardiography in diagnosis of CHDs. The prenatal diagnosis of CHDs has been shown to have a significant effect on prenatal and postnatal management and outcomes. The current prospective study included 80pregnant women; detailed fetal echocardiography was performed according to International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG) guidelines [1]. In this study the range of gestational age was between 20-35 weeks, (57.5%) were males and (42.5%) were females, 48 CHDs (60%) were detected in the low risk group and 32 (40%) were found in the high risk group, we found the most frequent risk factors for CHDs was positive parental consanguinity in (18 cases), multiple risk factors were found in (14 cases), there was insignificant correlation between mother age, fetal age and presence of risk factors. Our results showed that 20% of cases had associated ECAs, while 80% of cases had no associated ECAs. The most frequent CHDs encountered in our study was isolated VSDs (10%). Complete agreement was found in (85%) of cases between prenatal and postnatal echo findings. It is concluded that due to the high frequency of CHDs within the low risk pregnant females, we suggest that basic fetal echocardiography should be done for all pregnant women regardless the presence of risk factors.