Prenatal diagnosis of critical congenital heart disease (CHD) is associated with decreased morbidity. It is also associated with lower birth weights and earlier gestational age at delivery. The University of California Fetal Consortium (UCfC) comprises five tertiary medical centers, and was created to define treatment practices. We utilized this consortium to assess delivery patterns and outcomes in subjects with prenatal and postnatal diagnosis of CHD. A retrospective cohort study was conducted on maternal–neonatal pairs diagnosed with complex CHD prenatally (n = 186) and postnatally (n = 110) from 2011 to 2013. Outcomes were assessed between groups after adjusting for disease severity. Prenatally diagnosed subjects were born earlier (38.1 ± 0.11 vs. 39 ± 0.14 weeks, p = < 0.001), and had lower birth weights (2853 ± 49 vs. 3074 ± 58 g, p = 0.005) as compared to postnatal diagnosis. For every week increase in gestational age and 100 g increase in birth weight, length of stay decreased by 12.3 ± 2.7% (p < 0.001) and 3.9 ± 0.9% (p < 0.001). Subjects with prenatal diagnosis were more often born via cesarean both planned (35.6 vs. 26.2%, p = 0.004) and after a trial of labor (13 vs. 7.8%, p = 0.017). Neonates with cesarean delivery trended toward a longer length of stay (2.6 days longer), and were born earlier as compared to other modalities (37.7 ± 0.22 weeks, p = 0.001). Management after prenatal diagnosis of CHD appears to have modifiable disadvantages for maternal and neonatal outcomes. The UCfC provides a platform to study best practices and standardization of care for future studies.

Congenital heart disease is misdiagnosed in tertiary care centers by both pediatric cardiologists and fetal imaging specialists. We believe that this occurrence is related to multiple factors, including evolution of congenital heart disease, maternal body habitus, associated congenital anomalies, decreased amniotic fluid volume, gestational age at evaluation, imaging techniques, and, most importantly, the experience of the sonographer.

The purpose of this article was to discuss the process of setting up a nuchal translucency (NT) screening clinic in clinical practice, how to interpret the information in combination with other clinical tests, what to do if abnormal results are obtained, and to illustrate some of the fetal anomalies that are associated with an increased NT. The NT was initially implemented to predict the likelihood of a fetus with Down syndrome. Maternal age can be combined with fetal NT and maternal serum biochemistry (free β-hCG and PAPP-A) at 11 to 14 weeks to identify about 90% of affected fetuses. Setting up a clinic to perform the NT screening requires certified physicians and certified sonographers. Certification can be obtained for both physicians and sonographers through Nuchal Translucency Quality Review and Fetal Medicine Foundation. Cell-free DNA testing is now altering what our patients are choosing to evaluate fetuses at risk for chromosomal anomalies and congenital anomalies. Common pitfalls to performing, interpreting, and conveying results of the NT are illustrated in this article. Nasal bone measurement, fetal anatomy examination and fetal echocardiography are tools that add sensitivity to the detection of chromosomal abnormalities. Examples of fetal anomalies discovered during the NT screening are also illustrated. Screening for obstetric complications is an additional benefit to the NT clinic.