title: Fetal heart disease and interruption of pregnancy: factors influencing the parental decision-making process.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify factors influencing parental decision when a fetal cardiac disease is diagnosed.
  
  
  METHODS
  All pregnancies with fetal cardiac abnormalities diagnosed at three academic hospitals of Marseille, France, between 2004 and 2008, were retrospectively studied. The association between maternal and fetal variables (maternal age, parity, ethnicity, gestational age at diagnosis, nuchal translucency, fetal gender, chromosomal and extra cardiac abnormalities, and severity of the cardiopathy) and parental decision was tested using univariate and multivariate statistical methods
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred eighty-eight cases of fetal cardiac disease were analysed, of which 63 were interrupted pregnancies (IP) and 125 continued pregnancies (CP). Four factors were important in the parental decision-making process: the severity of cardiac malformation, the ethnic origin of the parents, the gestational age at diagnosis and the chromosomal abnormalities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Counselling of parents following the diagnosis of a congenital heart disease should take into account that, in addition of the severity of the congenital heart disease (CHD), ethnicity, gestational age at diagnosis and chromosomal abnormalities influence parental decision regarding pregnancy continuation or interruption.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Conception Hospital, Marseille, France. badrmajda@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chenni
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lacroze
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pouet
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fraisse
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kreitmann
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gamerre
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boubli
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: D'Ercole
mesh_terms: D000015:Abnormalities, Multiple; D000025:Abortion, Eugenic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D005817:Genetic Counseling; D005865:Gestational Age; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D048208:Nuchal Translucency Measurement; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors