Abstract
Importance of the field: Heart defects are the most frequent congenital malformations, affecting 8 in every 1000 neonates. As 90% of infants born with a congenital heart defects (CHD) have no known risk factor, screening for heart defects in every routine obstetric ultrasound is essential for antenatal diagnosis.
Areas covered in this review: Two-dimensional echocardiography allied with three- and four-dimensional technologies such as spatio-temporal image correlation offer means for thoroughly evaluating fetal cardiac anatomy.
What the reader will gain: This article reviews the most relevant aspects of antenatal screening and diagnosis of CHD using sonography and echocardiography. It includes first trimester diagnosis and three- and four-dimensional techniques.
Take home message: These antenatal diagnostic tools play an important role in optimization of obstetric care and neonatal management, thus potentially reducing perinatal mortality.
Notes
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