Why the study?
Early identification of congenital heart defects improves postnatal outcomes, but data comparing rates between general and high-risk pregnancies and the utility of periodic fetal echocardiography were needed.
Does fetal echocardiography screening detect a higher rate of congenital heart defects in high-risk pregnant women compared to low-risk pregnant women?
Does fetal echocardiography screening detect a higher rate of congenital heart defects in high-risk pregnant women compared to low-risk pregnant women?
Fetal echocardiography identified an 18% incidence of fetal cardiac disease, supporting the recommendation for prenatal screening in all pregnant women.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May support selective fetal echocardiography in high-risk pregnancies; cross-sectional data leaves open comparative yield versus low-risk groups.
Background: Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most prevalent type of congenital defect. Early identification of CHDS increases postnatal treatment options and outcomes. Objective: To compare the rate of CHDS in the general pregnant population to those at high risk. It also assesses the efficacy of using periodic fetal echocardiography throughout pregnancy to test for CHDs. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was undertaken at the Medical City complex between September 1st, 2023, and May 1st, 2024. The fetal heart was screened antenatally during the mid-trimester. Data were gathered from 250 pregnant women, with half of them classified as high-risk due to fetal or maternal risk factors associated with congenital heart abnormalities. These parameters were compared to those seen in low-risk pregnancies to establish the need for fetal echocardiography. Results: The study comprised 250 pregnant women, with 125 in each of the low-risk and high-risk categories. The prenatal incidence of fetal cardiac disease was discovered to be 18%. Pregnancies with ultrasonography abnormalities had the highest prevalence, accounting for 37% of the overall high-risk category. In addition, 34 instances (14%) featured babies with minor cardiac abnormalities, while 6 cases (2%) involved fetuses with complicated cardiac disorders. Conclusions: The study found that CHDS is more common in high-risk pregnancies than in low-risk ones. All pregnant women, regardless of additional maternal concerns, should undergo prenatal screening, including CHDS detection.
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Yaseen et al. (2024) studied this question.
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