Treatment of fetal cardiac arrhythmias.

Fetal cardiac arrhythmias are usually first suspected on the basis of auscultatory findings during routine examination in pregnancy. With improved ultrasonic equipment a more accurate diagnosis of the type of arrhythmia can be made, associated problems such as structural cardiac defects and cardiac compromise can be recognized, and the effects of intrauterine treatment schedules can be closely monitored. The success of intrauterine therapy depends first and foremost on accurate intrauterine diagnosis. Until now intrauterine therapy for fetal cardiac arrhythmias has remained almost entirely restricted to pharmacological interventions.