To develop a prediction model based on echocardiographic findings to estimate the probability of the need for neonatal cardiac invasive therapy, including cardiac surgery or catheter-based therapy, in foetuses with CHD.

Retrospective cohort study: a prediction model was developed based on echocardiographic findings on the examination of the four-chamber, the three-vessel, and the three-vessel and tracheal views. We assessed performance using the area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic.

Among 291 patients with prenatal diagnosis of CHD and complete follow-up, 175 (60.1%) required neonatal cardiac invasive therapy. The variables “functionally single ventricle”, “great artery reverse flow”, and “congenital heart block” had a discrimination value of 100% and were excluded from the model. In univariate and multivariate analysis, “non-visualisation of a great vessel”, “asymmetry of the great vessels”, “visualisation of one atrioventricular valve”, and “ventricular asymmetry” were significantly associated with the need for neonatal cardiac invasive therapy. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.9324 (95% CI 0.92–0.97).

A prediction model based on echocardiographic findings in foetuses with CHD, even without a definite diagnosis, allows an accurate estimation of the probability of requiring neonatal cardiac invasive therapy. This can modify patient care, especially in regions where a Foetal Medicine Specialist or a Paediatric Cardiologist is not available and referral may be extremely difficult due to social and economic barriers.

Foetal aortic valvuloplasty has been proposed as a strategy to improve left heart growth and function in foetuses with severe aortic stenosis at risk of progression to hypoplastic left heart syndrome. We report our experience with this intervention.

Between 2005 and 2010, five foetuses with aortic stenosis and at risk of progression to hypoplastic left heart syndrome underwent ultrasound-guided percutaneous foetal aortic valvuloplasty. There were no associated maternal complications or foetal demise. In one case, the pregnancy was terminated a couple of weeks after the intervention, one foetus evolved to hypoplastic left heart syndrome, and three did not.

Foetal aortic valvuloplasty seems to be a safe and feasible procedure. It has been reported that it has the potential to prevent progression to hypoplastic left heart syndrome in selected foetuses with severe aortic stenosis. Further investigation regarding physiological and clinical aspects of this disease both prenatally and postnatally will probably allow to improve therapeutic strategies and clinical outcome.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the cumulative detection rate of foetal echocardiography during gestation and in the early neonatal period, with a special emphasis on early foetal echocardiography.

We conducted a retrospective survey of all singleton pregnancies from 1993 to 2007, with complete sequential echocardiography from 11 plus 0 to 13 plus 6 weeks of gestation. It was mandatory to have at least one foetal echocardiography in the second or third trimester and one postnatally.

Our study included 3521 pregnancies, in which 77 cases were diagnosed with congenital heart disease. Of them, 66 were detected in the first trimester – 11 plus 0 to 11 plus 6 weeks: 22 cases; 12 plus 0 to 12 plus 6 weeks: 23 cases; 13 plus 0 to 13 plus 6 weeks: 21 cases – with an 85.7% detection rate of congenital heart disease in early foetal echocardiography. In the second trimester, seven cases were found, with a detection rate of 9.1%. The third trimester reported two cases, with a detection rate of 2.6%. Postnatally, two (2.6%) cases were detected. The overall in utero detection rate of congenital heart disease was 97.4%.

Foetal echocardiography performed at the time of anomaly screening in the first trimester results in high detection rates of congenital heart disease. Cardiac pathology may evolve, and further examinations at later stages of pregnancy could improve the detection rate of congenital heart disease.