Today, substantial resources are devoted in the world to the early diagnosis of congenital fetal anomalies. Modern echocardiography in early pregnancy is essential for this. It can accurately detect the smallest heart abnormalities and help determine in advance the appropriate treatment tactics, place and timing of delivery.
However, full screening is often limited due to the lack of necessary knowledge and qualifications. With this in mind, Almazov Centre organized the international symposium on perinatal diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects and fetal arrhythmias.
The event brought together delegates from more than 10 countries (Germany, France, Italy, Austria, the USA, Monaco, Sweden, Hungary, Spain).
The symposium was possible largely due to a long scientific friendship and academic partnership with the University of Perugia (Italy) headed by Dean of the Faculty of Obstetrics and Midwifery, Director of the Centre of Perinatal and Reproductive Medicine Professor Gian Carlo Di Renzo.
The symposium covered the following topics:
- Functional changes from prenatal to postnatal life
- What about the third dimension?
- Fetal vasculature imaging and cardiovascular intensive care
- Fetal dysrhythmia and venous anomalies
- What’s new in STIC imaging?
- Impact of computerization/artificial intelligence
- Fetal cardiac remodeling and dysfunction in PE and FGR
- Sonopathological correlation of 1st trimester cardiac defects
- Genetic myocardial disease
- 3D cardiac reconstruction
The participants had a unique opportunity to gain an insight into the work of foreign colleagues and their experience, as well as learn about new methods in the diagnosis of prenatal and postnatal changes in children with congenital and acquired heart defects.
The Russian speakers were Igor Averkin, Ekaterina Bokerija, Elena Gurkina, Anna Kostareva, Darya Kryuchko, Darya Litvina, Valentina Tsibizova, Svetlana Milovanova. Their presentations highlighted such problems as innovative methods of preoperative preparation with the introduction of 3D printing, the diagnosis and management of prenatal and postnatal malformations.
The leading foreign experts of the symposium were Gian Carlo Di Renzo, Roberto Romero, Gerald Tulzer, Lami Yeo, Giuseppe Rizzo, Graziano Clerici, Maria Respondek-Liberska, Yves Ville and others. Particularly interesting were the presentations of foreign lecturers about fetal surgical interventions as well as on the introduction of artificial intelligence in the ultrasound diagnosis of congenital defects.
The talk by Professor Robert Romero, a pioneer of prenatal diagnosis, was of particular importance to the Russian audience.
The event was held in Russian and English, with simultaneous translation. The International Symposium The Fetal and Neonatal Heart: Implications for Adult Life continued a series of online scientific conferences and workshops initiated and attended by the specialists of Almazov Centre.
We hope that such symposiums will become a good tradition of meetings for specialized experts and will take place not only online, but also live when the epidemiological situation in the country and worldwide gets better.