title: Screening for congenital heart disease.
abstract: Congenital heart disease has the characteristics of a disease that is suited to screening, and the four-chamber view is an effective screening tool with a sensitivity of 40% to 50%. The use of multiple cardiac views can increase the pre-natal detection to 60% to 80%. Given that most infants with congenital heart disease are born to low-risk women, routine screening is warranted. Early pre-natal diagnosis provides an opportunity to exclude associated extracardiac and chromosomal abnormalities, discuss pregnancy options, adjust obstetric management, prepare parents for delivery of an affected baby, and plan delivery in a tertiary care center. Despite the widespread use of ultrasonography, only 15% to 30% of infants with congenital heart disease are identified prenatally. There is a need to do better.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Medical Center, PH-16, 622 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USA. ls731@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Lynn L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Simpson
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal