Operator experience impact on the evaluation of still images of a first trimester cardiac assessment protocol.

Objective: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect and represents the leading cause for mortality and morbidity in infants and young adults. Early fetal echocardiography is usually considered a highly specialized scan. The goal of this study is to evaluate the impact of operator's experience in assessing still images of the 4-chamber view and 3-vessels view and to evaluate the feasibility and the performance of a first trimester screening protocol for CHD.