[Congenital heart diseases in Sør-Trøndelag. Incidence, diagnosis, course and treatment].

In the county of Sør-Trøndelag, Norway, 145 children with congenital heart disease were detected among 14,194 live-born children from 1 January 1987 to 31 December 1990. This represents an incidence of 10.2 per thousand live-born children. The children were followed for six to 42 months (mean 2.38 years). Ventricular septal defect was detected in 71 (49%) cases. Isolated ventricular septal defect was found in 56 (39%) cases, the muscular type being the most frequent (three times that of the membranous type). Other congenital defects were found in 28 cases (19%), either as chromosome aberrations, syndromes or extracardiac malformations. 13 (9%) children died. None had constant symptoms of congestive heart failure by the end of the study. 34 (23%) cases were referred from mother and child clinics. 8 (5.5%) cases were detected prenatally. Compared with the results of other studies, the total incidence of congenital heart disease was high, and mortality and incidence of other coexistent congenital defects were low. It seems that small and less severe heart defects were detected more frequently in this study. The difference was most marked for incidence of muscular ventricular septal defect, atrial septal defect and pulmonary stenosis. The probable reasons for these results are an almost complete register of cases, well established postnatal care and a short distance to a pediatric cardiologist.