Abstract
Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) are the most common severe congenital malformations. Half of them correspond to severe defects with a postnatal mortality risk that ranges from 25% to 35%. The prevalence of chromosome abnormalities and genetic syndromes associated with fetal CHD is high, as well as the risk of extracardiac malformations, that increases 10 times in the presence of a CHD. Most CHDs (>90% of cases) occur in fetuses with no history or known risk factor, and thus prenatal ultrasound (US) screening programs are essential for their diagnosis. Currently, different planes or views have been proposed to be incorporated into the basic echocardiographic study at 19 to 22 weeks' gestation (examination of the upper abdomen, four-chamber view, five-chamber or left ventricular outflow tract view, short-axis or right ventricular outflow tract view, and three-vessel and trachea view), whereas an advanced echocardiographic study is generally reserved for high-risk patients. The systematic study of the fetal heart with the aforementioned views permits the identification of most of the major CHDs.
Published Version
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