Screening for congenital heart disease

Most pregnant women in the United States undergo at least one ultrasound examination before delivery. Prenatal ultrasound performed after the first trimester requires an assessment of fetal anatomy. Both the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend that the four-chamber view be part of this assessment during routine prenatal ultrasonography in the second and third trimesters [1,2]. Although assessing Multiple views of the heart increases the likelihood of prenatal detection of congenital heart disease, screening for cardiac defects in the fetus begins with the four-chamber view.