Angeborene Herzfehler in Deutschland

The PAN study recorded a prevalence of 1.08% for congenital heart defects in live births throughout Germany. 61% of the cardiac defects were diagnosed as mild whereas severe lesions were diagnosed in 12%. The most common congenital heart defect was a ventricle septum defect, which occurred in more than 50% of the patients. The most frequent cyanotic cardiac defects were tetralogy of Fallot and transposition of the great arteries. A hypoplastic left heart syndrome was present in more than half of all univentricular hearts. Postnatal diagnosis is carried out relatively early in Germany in comparison to other contemporary nationwide studies. The prenatal detection rate for severe congenital heart defects was 43%. If a fetal echocardiography was performed the diagnosis was made prenatally in 93% of all duct-dependent cardiac defects.