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Echocardiographic Anatomy in the Fetus

Abstract

Congenital heart diseases are the most common congenital malformations, affecting six to eight per 1,000 live births [1–3], and their prevalence in abortuses has been shown to be even higher [4, 5]. Moreover, heart diseases are the leading cause of death among infants with congenital anomalies, causing nearly 20% of neonatal deaths and up to 50% of infant deaths due to congenital anomalies. Recent studies have demonstrated a positive impact of prenatal diagnosis in morbility and mortality rates in specific groups of congenital heart disease [6–8]. Only 20% of congenital heart disease in the fetus occurs in high-risk pregnancies; therefore, routine screening of all pregnancies is necessary. Prenatal screening cannot be conferred solely to pediatric cardiologists because of the limited number of these specialists. The alternative, chosen in many developed countries, is to assess the heart in a simplified form — the fourchamber view — during routine “anomaly scan” at 18–20 weeks’ gestation and to provide extra training for all obstetric sonographers.

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© 2008 Springer-Verlag Italia

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(2008). General Guidelines. In: Echocardiographic Anatomy in the Fetus. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-0573-0_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-0573-0_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Milano

  • Print ISBN: 978-88-470-0572-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-88-470-0573-0

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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