Trends in prenatal diagnosis of critical cardiac defects in an integrated obstetric and pediatric cardiac imaging center.
OBJECTIVE
Prenatal diagnosis of critical (requiring neonatal intervention) cardiac defects (critical congenital heart diseases (CCHD)) improves survival, yet detection of such malformations is poor. Our institution changed its practice and integrated a pediatric cardiologist into the perinatal team. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how this change affected the rate of detected congenital heart disease (CHD) and the diagnostic accuracy.


METHODS
Obstetrical ultrasounds of mothers at high and normal risk for fetal CCHD at a single center between 1991 and 2001 were reviewed. Rate of detected CCHD, positive predictive values and false positives were compared before and after pediatric cardiology integration.


RESULTS
Between the first and second time periods, the rate of detected CCHD increased from 6.8/1000 ultrasounds to 12.9/1000 ultrasounds (p=0.007), and positive predictive value increased from 75 to 96%.


CONCLUSIONS
Collaboration with pediatric cardiology can significantly improve the rate of detected CCHD. These findings have significant implications for sonographer education and patient care.
The Heart Institute for Children, Oak Lawn, IL 60445, USA.
Bettina F
BF
Cuneo
Letitia F
LF
Curran
Nancy
N
Davis
Haim
H
Elrad
D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal