The Heart Which "Looks Different"

Congenital heart diseases are among the most common fetal abnormalities. Given their increased incidence in pregnancies without any risk factors, universal screening by prenatal echocardiography is mandatory. Ultrasound evaluation alows for the detailed description of cardiac anatomical details, assessment of the hemodynamic stability of the fetus, estimation of potential disease pogression in utero and to determine the need for medical/surgical interventions after birth. This in turn leads to referral of complex caes to fetal cardiology units for evaluation and counseling to ensure individualized care and thus to improve the short-term and long-term outcomes of affected neonates, especially those with cyanotic congenital heart diseases. In this review, we approached the most commonly encountered cardiac abnormalities of the fetal heart.