Birth outcomes of cases with conotruncal defects of heart – a population-based case-control study

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the birth outcomes of cases with four types of conotruncal defects (CTDs), i.e. common truncus, transposition of great arteries, tetralogy of Fallot and double-outlet right ventricle.

Methods: Birth outcomes of 597 live-born cases with CTD and 38 151 population controls without any defects were compared in the population-based large dataset of the Hungarian Case-Control Surveillance of Congenital Abnormalities completed by socio-demographic variables of their mothers.

Results: There was a male excess in cases with CTD (56.8%) with the same mean gestational age (39.4 versus 39.4 weeks) and preterm birth rate (8.2 versus 9.2%), but their mean birth weight was smaller (3077 versus 3276 g) with a high rate of low birthweight (14.6 versus 5.7%) compared to the birth outcomes of population controls. These data indicate intrauterine growth restriction of fetuses affected with transposition of great arteries, tetralogy of Fallot and double-outlet right ventricle particularly in females, while there were a shorter mean gestational age and smaller mean birth weigh in cases with common truncus.

Conclusions: In general CTD, except common truncus, had no effect for gestational age but associated with a high risk for intrauterine fetal growth restriction particularly in female cases.

• Common truncus
• congenital heart defects
• double-outlet right ventricle
• intrauterine growth restriction
• male excess
• transposition of great vessels
• tetralogy of Fallot

Acknowledgements

This project was supported by the Hungarian Egészségügyi Tudományos Tanács Pályázati Irodája (Grant Office of Scientific Committee of Health Ministry) and Versys Clinics, Human Reproduction Institute, Budapest, Hungary. The authors thank Erika Varga for her help in the preparation of data set for statistical analysis.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no declarations of interest.