Prenatal Detection Rates of
Congenital Heart Disease
Many pregnant women have a routine obstetric
ultrasound examination at 18 to 20 weeks’ gestation that
may allow prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease
(CHD). Currently, rates of prenatal detection of CHD
vary widely. In 2009, in a study1
involving 3 referral centers
in Northern California, the rate of prenatal detection
of SVCHD was 64%.In 2010, a large study2
revealed that,
depending on the study site, the prenatal diagnosis rate
for CHD with a single right ventricle was 59% to 85%.
Patients with public insurance and lower socioeconomic
status are less likely to receive a prenatal diagnosis
of critical CHD.3
Higher prenatal detection of CHD is
associated with close proximity to a high-risk or university-based
practice, which suggests that the clinician’s
education
and expertise
are key.4
Similarly,
recognition
of complex
CHD in the prenatal period is higher at tertiary care centers
than at centers based in the community.1,5
In a recent study,6
the prenatal detection rate for significant
CHD was as high as 74.1% when views of cardiac
outflow tracts were documented on prenatal ultrasound.
Obstetric screening guidelines have improved, and in
2013, they were modified to include outflow tract imaging