Antenatal detection and diagnosis


 * Associate Editor(s)-In-Chief: Priyamvada Singh, M.B.B.S. [mailto:psingh@perfuse.org],Keri Shafer, M.D. [mailto:kshafer@bidmc.harvard.edu], Atif Mohammad, M.D.; Assistant Editor(s)-In-Chief: Kristin Feeney, B.S. [mailto:kfeeney@perfuse.org]

Overview
Before birth, an obstetric ultrasound scan may be used to screen pregnant women for signs of CHD in their unborn babies. This screening scan is often performed around 20 weeks of pregnancy when the fast moving structures of the fetal heart are large enough to be more easily imaged. If CHD is suspected, a mother will be referred for a fetal echocardiograph, which is a more detailed, diagnostic ultrasound scan by a specialist cardiologist. It is increasingly possible for specialists to screen for CHD as early as 14 weeks, if CHD is suspected from other factors, such as a family history.