Objective: This study was undertaken to clarify the natural course of ventricular septal defect, and to find an index that would help in prenatal counseling.
Methods: Between January 2010 and December 2014, 18 188 fetuses underwent echocardiographic examinations. Of these, 228 isolated ventricular septal defect cases were retrospectively reviewed.
Results: In this retrospective study, the incidence of isolated ventricular septal defect was 1.25% (228/18 188). There were 146 patients who underwent echocardiography after delivery in order to confirm the natural course of patients with isolated ventricular septal defect. Of the 146 cases, 64 cases (43.84%) had the ventricular septal defect naturally closed in the fetal period. Of the 82 patients with ventricular septal defect at birth, 25 patients showed natural closure during follow-up. However, four patients (2.74%) required surgical treatment for ventricular septal defect. In case of perimembranous defects, natural closure is more frequent in the fetal period than in the postnatal period.
Conclusion: Our results indicate that 60.96% (89/146) of isolated ventricular septal defects diagnosed during the fetal life are closed naturally. Perimembranous type defect, small defect (<2 mm) and maternal age less than 35 years are the good prognostic factors for the natural closure during fetal life. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
© 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.