Impact and issues of detecting fetal congenital heart defects in Kyushu, Japan.

AIM

To determine the current status of fetal CHD screening in our region and to establish a CHD screening system in Japan.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Subjects were 168 fetuses prenatally-diagnosed with CHD at four referral centers in Japan from 2003 to 2007. Subjects were divided into two groups: group A (n = 84) included cases without extracardiac sonographic abnormalities and known risk factors for CHD and group B (n = 84) included those with extracardiac sonographic abnormalities or risk factors. The diagnostics and outcomes between the groups were analyzed.

RESULTS

There were more cases of single ventricle and restrictive ductus arteriosus and fewer cases of ventricular septal defect and double outlet right ventricle in group A than in group B (P < 0.05). In group A, the most frequent referral reason was an abnormal four-chamber view. In group B, 37 cases had chromosomal anomalies. The mortality rates in group B were higher than those in group A (P < 0.05). There were no differences in mortality rates between fetuses without chromosomal anomalies in group B and group A.

CONCLUSION

Prenatally-diagnosed CHD were mostly limited to those cases with obvious abnormalities in the four-chamber view or those with chromosomal anomalies. Prenatal detection of CHD is useful for the prediction of outcomes.