[Fetal echocardiography. Prenatal diagnosis of hypoplastic left heart syndrome]

The authors report of a prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) in a fetus at 36 weeks' gestation. The diagnosis-was substantiated by a postnatal two dimensional and M-mode echocardiogram and confirmed at postmortem examination. Pertinent findings were the morphology of ventricular cavities and of the mitral valve, and the abnormally increased ratio of right ventricular to left ventricular dimensions (approximately 2) as well as the pulmonary-to-aorta diameter ratio of 1,7. We stress the need of an accurate measurement of ventricular cavities to avoid a falsely positive diagnosis and the importance of a prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of congenital heart anomalies for a correct perinatal management.