Gonçalves Luís F, Bronsteen Richard, Lee Wesley
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Division of Fetal Imaging, Royal Oak, Michigan 48073, USA.
Clin Obstet Gynecol. 2012 Mar;55(1):266-80. doi: 10.1097/GRF.0b013e3182446df0.
The majority of children born with congenital heart disease have no identifiable risk factors and, therefore, prenatal diagnosis relies on routine ultrasonographic screening. First proposed in 1985, the 4-chamber view is a component of the basic fetal cardiac examination. However, many life-threatening conditions (eg, transposition of the great arteries) can present with a normal 4-chamber view and may only be detected by systematic evaluation of the outflow tracts. Although this is a technically challenging skill, its mastery is a worthwhile goal of ultrasonography training, as it likely to improve the lives of at least some of the children affected by the most severe forms of congenital heart disease.
