Guidelines and Recommendations for Performance of the Fetal Echocardiogram: An Update from the American Society of Echocardiography
Since the publication of the ASE’s document in 2004, much of what has been learned is due to an intense desire for multidisciplinary collaboration, pooling multicenter data and expertise from subspecialists including pediatric cardiologists, radiologists, obstetricians, maternal fetal medicine specialists, and sonography practitioners, all important stakeholders in the care of fetal patients with cardiovascular disease. Ongoing research and collaboration have supported efforts toward a better understanding of fetal physiology and disease processes and progression. This has led to significant improvements in fetal imaging and in clinical practice and outcomes for patients. Given that the future of fetal cardiology includes multidisciplinary cooperation, there is new information available that should be summarized and relayed in a revised ASE statement to maintain the best practice for fetal echocardiography and fetal and perinatal cardiovascular care across disciplines. The purpose of this document is to provide updated recommendations for the performance and interpretation of fetal echocardiography in the detection, classification, risk assessment, and perinatal care planning of the pregnancy in which the fetus has cardiovascular disease. This document replaces the 2004 ASE guideline mentioned earlier.
