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The success of cardiac surgery over the past 50 years has increased numbers and median age of survivors with congenital heart disease (CHD). Adults now represent two-thirds of patients with CHD; in the United States alone the number is estimated to exceed 1 million.In this population many affected women reach reproductive age and wish to have children. While in many CHD patients pregnancy can be accomplished successfully, some special situations with complex anatomy, iatrogenic or residual pathology are associated with an increased risk of severe maternal and fetal complications. Pre-conception counseling allows women to come to truly informed choices. Risk stratification tools can also help high-risk women to eventually renounce to pregnancy and to adopt safe contraception options. Once pregnant, women identified as intermediate or high-risk should receive multidisciplinary care involving a cardiologist, an obstetrician and an anesthesiologist with specific expertise in managing this peculiar medical challenge.This document is intended to provide cardiologists working in hospitals where an Obstetrics and Gynecology Department is available with a streamlined and practical tool, useful for them to select the best management strategies to deal with a woman affected by CHD who desires to plan pregnancy or is already pregnant.

Cardiomyopathies (CM) are a very rare disease in fetuses with a very poor outcome. Only isolated case reports and small case series were reported. According with published studies we will describe the fetal CM starting from their echocardiographic presentation: dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) with dilatation of either or both ventricles and impaired ventricular function, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) with different degree of disproportionate hypertrophy of the myocardial walls. The term of the "noncompaction" of the left ventricular myocardium, is used in cases with DCM with evidence of numerous prominent trabeculations with deep myocardial recesses. In series of neonates and infant the CM occur in about 2-7%, but probably during the fetal life the prevalence is higher: 6% - 11%. The high intrauterine loss, occurring in one third of affected fetuses, likely accounts for these differences. Fetal echocardiography, B and M-mode, is the main diagnostic tool and it is useful for the therapeutic orientation and to determine the neonatal outcome. A haemodynamic evaluation can be performed by Doppler mode. Systolic and diastolic fetal cardiac function have become part of the routine evaluation of the fetal heart. Cardiomyopathies can be isolated or associated with other cardiac and non cardiac malformations. All the studies confirm a great variability of DCM in the fetal age as for the anatomical and functional forms, etiology and hemodynamic impact with different final outcome. Genetic, metabolic, infective, and cardiac diseases may present with DCM. Ventricular dysfunction may be progressive in utero and after birth, but possibility of improvement or even normalization of the left ventricular dysfunction is known in all forms of DCM, "idiopathic", post infective or in noncompaction of left ventricle. The outcome is worse in presence of fetal hydrops, significant atrioventricular valve regurgitation, for the earlier age at presentation and when diastolic dysfunction is associated with systolic dysfunction. Etiologically primary fetal HCM is a heterogeneous condition that can be the result of intrinsic fetal pathology as well as of extrinsic factors. It can be concentric or asymmetric. Prognosis of infants with HCM associated with maternal diabetes is good while a bad prognosis has been reported in fetuses without diabetic mother. HCM may be evolutive, mainly after birth; otherwise there are also cases that improve or regress completely. Unfortunately, a poor outcome is observed in most, particularly in DCM, with only a few therapeutic options available. Detailed evaluation of fetal and maternal condition provide prognostic information for prenatal counselling and may lead to improved outcome of at least some affected pregnancies.

The normal fetal cardiac rhythm is characterized by a regular heart rate ranging between 100 and 160 -180 beats/min with a normal 1: 1 atrioventricular electromechanical relationship during each cardiac cycle. Fetal tachycardia occurring in approximately 0.5% of all pregnancies and it is an important cause of fetal morbidity and mortality. A fetal tachycardic heart is at risk for developing low cardiac output, hydrops and ultimately fetal death or significant neurological morbidity. Different conditions can play a role to determine the natural history of tachycardic fetus as gestational age, underlying pathophysiology of the arrhythmia, fetal heart rate, duration of the tachyarrhythmia, and presence or absence of cardiac dysfunction. Reliable diagnosis in utero of fetal arrhythmia is possible by ultrasound examination of the fetal heart. In fact pulsed wave Doppler guided by two-dimensional echocardiography provided important information on cardiac rhythm as it study the blood flow from different chambers. With the introduction of the latest myocardial deformation methodology, the fetal tachyarrhythmias can be diagnosed more accu notrately. Precise diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmias in the fetus is crucial for a managed therapeutic approach. The choice of management is correlated to many factors: gestational age, underlying pathophysiology of the arrhythmia, fetal heart rate, duration of the tachyarrhythmia, and presence or absence of cardiac dysfunction. A large review of fetal arrhythmias was been reported in our work.

Background: Isolated noncompaction of the left ventricular myocardium, a rare congenital disorder, is thought to be due to an arrest of myocardial morphogenesis. It is characterized by an excessively prominent trabecular meshwork and by deep intertrabecular recesses. The aim of this study was to clarify the late outcome of this malformation, reporting our experience on 5 pediatric patients observed for a period of 11 years., Methods: We describe the clinical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic findings of 5 pediatric cases, with an age ranging from 1 month to 10 years. The mean follow-up was 4.5 years (> 10 years in 1 patient)., Results: In no case did life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias or systemic embolic events occur. Four patients who developed heart failure have been submitted to digoxin, diuretic, angiotensin-converting enzyme and anticoagulant therapy. One of them is still asymptomatic and in good health. One patient died while on the waiting list for cardiac transplantation., Conclusions: The appropriate and early diagnosis and treatment of this disorder can improve the outcome even though further studies will be needed to elucidate its long-term prognosis. At the same time, in view of the high incidence of a positive family history, evaluation of all members of the family is warranted.

Background: Fetal cardiac rhabdomyoma is very rare; despite the fact that many cases and series have been reported, the clinical presentation, the natural history and the frequency with which this pathology is associated with tuberous sclerosis complex are not well determined. The aim of this investigation was to study the clinical features and the natural history of cardiac rhabdomyoma when diagnosed during prenatal life., Methods: Nine cases of cardiac rhabdomyoma detected among 5276 fetal echocardiograms recorded over a 10-year period in a single center were retrospectively reviewed. Medical records and echocardiograms were studied to determine the prenatal and postnatal course and outcome., Results: The incidence of cardiac rhabdomyoma in our center was 0.17%. The gestational age at diagnosis ranged from 27 to 36 weeks. The most common reason for fetal echocardiography was an abnormal obstetric ultrasound scan (6/9 cases). In no case was there a family history of tuberous sclerosis. In one case, the tumor was single whereas in 8 cases multiple tumors were diagnosed. During prenatal life the majority of tumors were clinically silent. One fetus died of hydrops and arrhythmia. Four children presented with arrhythmia postnatally and one required surgery. At a mean follow-up of 47 months, total or partial regression was observed in 7 patients. Seven patients developed postnatal clinical signs of tuberous sclerosis., Conclusions: Fetal cardiac rhabdomyomas are often benign and have a tendency to regress, but their prognosis is guarded due to very frequent association with arrhythmias and tuberous sclerosis. During prenatal counseling, it is of utmost importance to inform the future parents of the virtually constant perspective of tuberous sclerosis complex.