Efficacy of fetal echocardiography in prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart diseases

Abstract

Background: Congenital heart diseases are the commonest fetal congenital defects and until nowadays most of them are bypassed without prenatal diagnosis to be still considered as unexplained stillbirths or perinatal deaths. In this study, we tried to prove the importance of routine fetal cardiac screening in the ANC visits and also confirming its high accuracy. Methods: This study was prospective longitudinal one, including doing ISUOG extended fetal cardiac screening for one hundred foetuses  scheduled at certain gestational age visits, whom their half were at risks for CHDs and the other were not, with comparing the results to antenatal and postnatal detailed fetal echocardiography. Results: The best gestational age for the fetal cardiac screening was at 18-22 weeks gestation. The accuracy of the screening to the antenatal echocardiogram was 96%-100% and to the postnatal one was 96%-98%. Conclusions: CHDs are still the commonest congenital fetal defects and the antenatal fetal cardiac screening by extended basic views has high accuracy. Making this screening a routine in ANC visits will be of great help in improving the fetal outcome.