title: The four-chamber view and its sensitivity in detecting congenital heart defects.
abstract: We sought to determine the sensitivity of detecting congenital heart defects with routine antenatal ultrasound including the four-chamber view in a population at low risk for cardiac anomalies. Neonatal outcome and anomaly databases were reviewed to identify cases of morphologic cardiac defects from 1988-1992. Of 176 cases identified, 62 (35%) had routine antenatal ultrasound including the four-chamber view. Thirteen of these 62 (21%) were diagnosed by ultrasound and 18 of the 116 (15%) total defects present were seen. Of these, only 16 of 25 (64%) defects reasonably expected to be seen by the four-chamber cardiac view alone were detected. The routine ultrasound four-chamber cardiac evaluation is limited and detection depends on the type of cardiac defect present.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, Tex., USA.
authors.forename: C O
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ramaciotti
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Twickler
mesh_terms: D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005865:Gestational Age; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000196:embryology; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000196:embryology / Q000453:epidemiology; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000196:embryology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal