Evaluation of fetal echocardiography as a routine antenatal screening tool for detection of congenital heart disease

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are one of the most common forms of congenital anomalies found in humans. Their approximate incidence is about 6 in 1,000 live births and about 8 to 10 in 1,000 pregnancies (1). CHDs are responsible for about 40% of perinatal deaths (2) of which more than 20% of deaths occur in the first month of life (3). CHDs therefore significantly contribute to the economic burden on health care systems. Prenatal foetal echocardiography is the only means of detecting such defects. This foetal echocardiography is mostly reserved in high risk pregnancies where CHDs incidence is traditionally higher. The present study is conducted to find out the incidence of CHDs in an unselected population of pregnant in comparison to high risk pregnant women, and to evaluate the role of routine prenatal foetal echocardiography as a screening tool for detection of CHD