First Trimester Fetal Echocardiography. State of the Problem

Cardiac anomalies are the most frequent congenital malformations and it has been shown that prenatal diagnosis has a major impact on the prenatal and postnatal management of affected pregnancies. Technical improvements and highly skilled operators, have demonstrated that early echocardiography, at 11-14 weeks scan, is feasible and a significant proportion of cardiac lesions present with abnormal ultrasound findings at this stage. Early evaluation is at this moment best reserved for cases at greater risk of cardiac defects (increased nuchal translucency and presence of extra cardiac lesions) but we proposed that it forms part of the early morphologic evaluation in low risk population where 80% of the cardiac anomalies happen. Second trimester fetal echocardiogram continuly to be the gold standard and has to be performed for the ongoing pregnancies.