title: The Polish National Registry for Fetal Cardiac Pathology: organization, diagnoses, management, educational aspects and telemedicine endeavors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We describe the National Registry for Fetal Cardiac Pathology, a program under the Polish Ministry of Health aimed at improving the prenatal diagnosis, care, and management of congenital heart disease (CHD).
  
  
  METHODS
  An online database was created to prospectively record diagnosis, prenatal care, delivery, follow-up, and still images and video for fetuses with CHD. A certification program in fetal cardiac ultrasound was also implemented. Optimal screening and referral centers were identified by number of fetuses entered in the Registry yearly by each center.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From 2004 to 2009, 2910 fetuses with CHD were registered (2473 structural, 437 functional anomalies). The most common reasons for referral for fetal echocardiography were abnormal four-chamber view (56.0%) and extra-cardiac anomalies (8.2% ), while the most common diagnoses were atrioventricular septal defects (10.2%) and hypoplastic left heart syndrome (9.7%). Prenatal diagnosis increased yearly, from 10.0% of neonatal diagnoses in 2003 to 38.0% in 2008.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  From inception of the registry up to 2009 there has been a fourfold increase in the number of neonates referred for cardiac surgery in whom the condition was prenatally diagnosed. Equally important achievements include the establishment of a certification program for fetal echocardiography and the organization of prenatal and neonatal management.
authors.affiliation: Fetal Cardiology Center Type C, Department for Diagnosis and Prevention of Congenital Malformations, Medical University of Lodz and Polish Mother's Memorial Hospital, Lodz, Poland. maciejslodki@op.pl
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Slodki
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Szymkiewicz-Dangel
authors.forename: Zdzislaw
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tobota
authors.forename: Neil S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Seligman
authors.forename: Stuart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Weiner
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Respondek-Liberska
mesh_terms: D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital; D006801:Humans; D011044:Poland; D011247:Pregnancy; D012042:Registries; D017216:Telemedicine; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal