THE IMPACT OF PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS ON THE LONG-TERM OUTCOME OF CHILDREN WITH CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE

Purpose: Congenital heart defects represent one of the major causes of infant morbidity and mortality. Intrauterine identification of congenital heart defects allows optimal postnatal management of the neonates including delivery in a tertiary centre permitting immediate early interventions. However the impact of prenatal diagnosis on the long-term outcome of these infants is still under debate. Methods and Materials: We present the results of a study investigating the long-term outcome of infants with congenital heart disease diagnosed intrauterine in comparison to infants, in whom the diagnosis was achieved po…