Ultrasonic evaluation of the fetal human heart

The fetal echocardiogram has demonstrated its utility for visualizing the fetal human heart during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. The potential utility of the technique for establishing accurate anatomic diagnoses of major congenital cardiac malformations has been established. These data have been utilized to counsel prospective parents and formulate management plans for the remainder of pregnancy and the intrapartum and immediate postpartum periods. Diagnoses have been established as early as the 16th to 18th week of gestation, raising in some cases the moral and ethical question of termination of pregnancy.