[Prenatal diagnosis of tricuspid atresia]

Tricuspid atresia is the third most common cyanotic cardiac malformation, seen in 1 per cent of children with congenital heart disease. It occurs in 4-5 per cent of congenital heart defects diagnosed prenatally, this difference is a consequence of a high percentage of intrauterine death these severely ill fetuses. Initial surgical treatment is palliation, usually with aortopulmonary shunt. Definitive treatment is the Fontan operation, when the systemic venous return is connected directly to the pulmonary tree. Five-year survival for liveborn patients is 50, but for prenatally diagnosed fetuses only 20%. In Hungary there is only a few survivor. Authors have diagnosed 20 tricuspid atresias during a five-year period by fetal echocardiography. In two cases the postnatal findings were: normal tricuspid valves, univentricular atrio-ventricular connection and stenosis of the pulmonary artery, in one case dysplastic tricuspid valves, hypoplastic right ventricle and stenosis of the pulmonary artery. Authors summarise their experiences with prenatal echocardiography of tricuspid atresia and describe characteristic signs could be found by routine ultrasound screening of this severe cardiac malformation.