[Prenatal cardiology--current problems and the future]

The author evaluates the past development, contemporary problems and future trends in the sphere of prenatal cardiology. As a basis he uses his own ten-year experience at a regional department of prenatal cardiology. He seeks the reasons for the stagnating, relatively low effectiveness of prenatal ultrasonic diagnostic screening to detect serious inborn heart disease which is one of the most frequent inborn foetal defects. The author discusses the association of this phenomenon with transformation changes of the system of health services. He deals with the approach of the child cardiologist to the parents of the affected foetus, possible pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapeutic approaches to prenatal cardiac pathology. It may be assumed that future progress of ultrasonographic technique will open the road from secondary to primary prevention of inborn heart disease.