Outcome and requirement for surgical repair following prenatal diagnosis of ventricular septal defect

Abstract

A high proportion of VSDs diagnosed during fetal life (29%) require postnatal surgical intervention. The assessment of hemodynamic significance from fetal echocardiography is imperfect. The presence of extracardiac abnormalities or abnormal results on first-trimester screening has a major impact on the incidence of karyotypic abnormalities in affected fetuses. This should inform discussions with parents about invasive testing.