Prenatal diagnosis of structural heart disease: does it make a difference to survival?

There are two potential advantages of mid trimester diagnosis of fetal heart disease. Perinatal management in an environment where the appropriate expertise is available and prepared might result in improved outcomes after intervention in the newborn period in situations where this is required. Alternatively, prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease allows consideration of termination of pregnancy. Termination of pregnancy for fetal anomaly is an emotive subject and has a wide range of acceptability in different societal contexts. Nearly 20% of all pregnancies in the UK were terminated for social indications in 1994 whereas the proportion in which the indication for termination was detection of fetal cardiac abnormality was about 0.02%.