Prenatal and Postnatal Screening for Congenital Heart Disease: Prevalence and Detection Patterns From a Retrospective Cohort Study
- 1Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, China
- 2Institute of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Fudan University, National Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai 201102, China
Abstract
Objective:. To describe the prevalence and detection patterns of prenatal and postnatal screening for congenital heart disease (CHD). Methods:. This retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University between 2018 and 2020. Pregnant women with complete prenatal and postnatal follow-up data were recruited for final analysis. Prenatal and postnatal screening for CHD included mid-trimester fetal cardiac ultrasound at 20–24 gestational weeks, neonatal pulse oximetry and cardiac auscultation 6–72 hours after birth, and at a 42-day postnatal visit. Results:. Of 21,920 fetuses or neonates (including 548 twin pregnancies), 318 CHD cases were identified. The annual prevalence of CHD was 14.5 per 1000 births. CHD was associated with a higher proportion of male gender in infants, preterm birth, low birth weight, and multiple pregnancy (P < 0.001). Of the 318 CHD cases, 270 (84.9%) were simple CHD and 48 (15.1%) were complex CHD (most common was tetralogy of Fallot, coarctation of the aorta). Overall, 40.6% (129/318) of CHD cases were diagnosed prenatally, and 59.4% (189/318) were diagnosed postnatally. The prenatal diagnosis rate for complex CHD was 89.6% (43/48), whereas 68.1% (184/270) of simple CHD cases were diagnosed postnatally. The annual pattern was consistent between 2018 and 2020 (χ2 = 0.2245, P = 0.894). Conclusion:. Our findings indicate the application of a combined prenatal and postnatal screening strategy for comprehensive CHD detection. Prenatal screening for CHD achieved high levels of efficacy for complex CHD with a detection rate of 89.6%. Sequential newborn screening was crucial for identifying simple CHD with a postnatal detection rate of 68.1%. Our findings indicate that prenatal and postnatal detection pattern vary by CHD complexity.
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BibTeX
@article{cao2026prenatal,
title = {{Prenatal and Postnatal Screening for Congenital Heart Disease: Prevalence and Detection Patterns From a Retrospective Cohort Study}},
author = {Li Cao and Jialin Zhang and Jiayu Wang and Jimei Wang and Yu Xiong and Qiongjie Zhou and Yonghao Gui and Xiaotian Li},
journal = {Maternal-fetal medicine (Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1097/fm9.0000000000000369},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13706334},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Prenatal and Postnatal Screening for Congenital Heart Disease: Prevalence and Detection Patterns From a Retrospective Cohort Study
AU - Li Cao
AU - Jialin Zhang
AU - Jiayu Wang
AU - Jimei Wang
AU - Yu Xiong
AU - Qiongjie Zhou
AU - Yonghao Gui
AU - Xiaotian Li
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/25
JO - Maternal-fetal medicine (Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)
DO - 10.1097/fm9.0000000000000369
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13706334
AB - Objective:. To describe the prevalence and detection patterns of prenatal and postnatal screening for congenital heart disease (CHD). Methods:. This retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University between 2018 and 2020. Pregnant women with complete prenatal and postnatal follow-up data were recruited for final analysis. Prenatal and postnatal screening for CHD included mid-trimester fetal cardiac ultrasound at 20–24 gestational weeks, neonatal pulse oximetry and cardiac auscultation 6–72 hours after birth, and at a 42-day postnatal visit. Results:. Of 21,920 fetuses or neonates (including 548 twin pregnancies), 318 CHD cases were identified. The annual prevalence of CHD was 14.5 per 1000 births. CHD was associated with a higher proportion of male gender in infants, preterm birth, low birth weight, and multiple pregnancy (P < 0.001). Of the 318 CHD cases, 270 (84.9%) were simple CHD and 48 (15.1%) were complex CHD (most common was tetralogy of Fallot, coarctation of the aorta). Overall, 40.6% (129/318) of CHD cases were diagnosed prenatally, and 59.4% (189/318) were diagnosed postnatally. The prenatal diagnosis rate for complex CHD was 89.6% (43/48), whereas 68.1% (184/270) of simple CHD cases were diagnosed postnatally. The annual pattern was consistent between 2018 and 2020 (χ2 = 0.2245, P = 0.894). Conclusion:. Our findings indicate the application of a combined prenatal and postnatal screening strategy for comprehensive CHD detection. Prenatal screening for CHD achieved high levels of efficacy for complex CHD with a detection rate of 89.6%. Sequential newborn screening was crucial for identifying simple CHD with a postnatal detection rate of 68.1%. Our findings indicate that prenatal and postnatal detection pattern vary by CHD complexity.
SN - 2096-6954
SN - 2641-5895
ER -