Prenatal Counseling of Fetal Congenital Heart Disease

The field of fetal cardiology has advanced greatly over the last two decades and congenital heart defects can now be identified in utero with a high level of accuracy. Prenatal counseling of parents given the news of a fetal cardiac defect is an important role of the fetal cardiologist. Prenatal counseling is a complex task that requires skill to perform and interpret fetal echocardiograms, an understanding of fetal and postnatal cardiovascular physiology, knowledge of therapeutic and surgical options, and of long-term outcomes including quality of life. Just as important is the manner in which the information is conveyed and the support offered to the parents as these affect parental understanding, influence decision-making, and may impact the parents’ emotional and psychological coping.