Fetal echocardiography: where are we?

ABSTRACT

This article reviews the indications, technique and benefits of fetal echocardiography. The impact of fetal echocardiography has become evident with better surgical outcome of infants with prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease. A major use of this technique has also been shown in the field of fetal arrhythmias. Fetal echocardiography is not only used to diagnose a specific type of arrhythmia, it is also very helpful in assessing the effect of the arrhythmia on the fetus and in guiding transplacental therapy. However it is important to remember that even experienced echocardiographers can make both false positive and false negative diagnosis of congenital heart disease. As fetal cardiac interventions including fetal cardiac surgery loom on the horizon, fetal echocardiography assumes further importance.