Fetal cardiology is the study of the unborn child’s heart.
What we do
The Fetal Cardiology Unit at Evelina London Children’s Hospital has an international reputation for diagnosing and managing heart problems in babies before birth.
Heart defects can be detected by a detailed ultrasound scan of a baby’s heart during pregnancy (a ‘fetal echocardiogram’). Approximately 2,000 high risk pregnancies are evaluated in our unit each year.
In most cases, we can reassure parents that their unborn baby’s heart is normal. When parents have been worrying – perhaps because they have another child who was born with a heart problem – this will be very welcome news. In some cases a problem will be detected.
We diagnose around 200 major heart abnormalities in babies before birth each year. As well as detecting problems with the way the heart has formed, we can detect abnormal heart rhythms and problems with the heart function.
When serious heart defects are detected, our team of experts are in the best position to provide detailed information, discuss options, make plans for the rest of pregnancy, plan for delivery, and provide support for the family.
Our facilities
We're part of the heart department at Evelina London. Our facilities include:
We also have close links with maternity services at St Thomas’ Hospital.
Research supported by our team
iFIND: intelligent Fetal Imaging and Diagnosis – finding new technologies that allow scanning to be carried out with multiple ultrasound probes and improved fetal ultrasound imaging through automated image processing.