FETAL ULTRASOUND AND NEONATAL DIAGNOSIS OF CONGENITAL HEART DEFECTS

Abstract

The congenital heart defect is one of the major causes of neonatal and pediatric mortality. A retrospective study of all the patients with singleton pregnancies, admitted in our hospital between 2010-2012 was performed. The data collected included information referring to the age of the patients, the gestational age, the cardiac diagnosis, the extracardiac anomalies, the prenatal and postnatal management and evolution. Out of 7,195 patients, 23 living newborns had CHDs (congenital heart defects). The mean gestational age was 34.12 weeks (range 30-39 weeks). We recorded VSD (ventricular septal defect) in 47.8% newborns, ASD (atrial septal defect) in 26.1% cases, TGA (transposition of great arteries) in 8.7% cases, coarctation of the aortic artery (COA) in 4.3% cases, TOF (tetralogy of Fallot) in 8.7% cases and HLHS (hypoplastic left heart syndrome) in 4.3% cases. The ultrasound findings in utero were VSD (30.4%), ASD (39.1%), TGA (4.3%), coarctation of the aortic artery (4.3%), TOF (4.3%) and HLHS (4.3%). In our study there was a strong correlation between the antenatal ultrasound findings and the neonatal diagnosis.