日本小児循環器学会雑誌 Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery

Fetal cardiac intervention has developed over the last two decades in Europe and North America to prevent irreversible deterioration in the fetal heart caused by morphological cardiac malformation. Technique, patient selection, and effects of the intervention have been clarified through challenges faced by fetal cardiologists worldwide. The intervention is performed by direct puncture of the fetal heart through the maternal abdomen. The procedure is significantly invasive for the fetus and requires a high level of surgical skill. Severe congenital heart diseases, including critical aortic stenosis, pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum, and hypoplastic left heart syndrome with highly restrictive foramen ovale, are targets for the intervention. Fetal cardiac intervention is an important treatment for severe congenital heart disease in utero and is desired early introduction into clinical practice in Japan.