All issues > Volume 38(6); 1995

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1995;38(6):811-818. Published online June 15, 1995.

Fetal Cardiac Malformation : types and associated anomalies

Ho Sung HS Kim¹, Jeong Wook JW Seo², Chung Il CI Noh¹, Jung Yun JY Choi¹, Yong Soo YS Yun¹

¹epartment of Pedeatrics, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
²Department of Pathology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

Purpose
: The relative incidence of fetal cardiac anomalies and associated extracardiac anomalies in Korean fetuses were studied.
Methods
: Findings in fetal echocardiography and autopsy were reviewed using 129 fetuses with cardiac anomalis detected at a gestational period under 38 weeks from 1991 Jan. to 1994 June.
Results
: The most common fetal cardiac anomaly was isolated atrial septal defect(28 cases : 21.7%). And the ventricular septal defect(19 cases : 14.7%), coartctation of aorta or interruption of arotic arch(16 cases : 12.4%), hypoplastic left heart syndrome(13 cases : 10.1%), tricuspid valve dysplasia including Ebstein's anomaly(8 cases : 6.2%) and pulmonary atresia(7 cases : 5.4%) were common in the order of frequency. Anomalies other than cardiac disease were present in 111 cases(85.2%) and chromosomal anomalies were suspected in 11 cases(8.5%). Common individual anomalies were lung hypoplasia(19 cases : 14.7%), accessory spleen(17 cases : 13.1%), cystic hygroma(15 cases : 11.6%), Meckel's diverticulum(14 cases : 10.9%), single umbilical artery(12 cases : 9.3%) and cleft lip or palate(1 cases : 8.5%) in the order of frequency.
Conclusion
: The frequencies of specific cardiac diseases were different from those in postnatal period. Coarctation on aorta or interruption of aortic arch and hypoplastic left heart syndrome were the 3rd and 4th most common fetal cardiac disease in this study and the result was very different from the previous reports of post-natal cardiac disease. About 85% of the fetuses had associated anomalies and the 60% of the anomalies were potentially lethal. The high frequency of associated anomalies were the result of selection of population or the method of this study which was based largely on autopsy findings.

Keywords :Feral cardiac desease, Fetal echocardiography