Balloon valvuloplasty for congenital heart disease in the fetus

Fetal cardiac interventions are relatively new and promising therapeutic options for modifying congenital heart defects (CHD) in utero. Techniques for safe access to the fetus must be improved and patient selection criteria must be developed. Most important is early detection and referral of all patients who have CHD, enabling improved outcomes for infants. Finally, is should be stressed that performing successful fetal cardiac interventions requires multidisciplinary collaboration between perinatologists, cardiologists, fetal surgeons, and anesthesiologists. Each discipline has specific skills for providing safe access to the fetus, performing the procedure, and providing perioperative care.