Fresh fields and pathways new: recent genetic insights into cardiac malformation.

Cardiovascular malformations are the most common type of birth defect. Currently, only a fraction of cases have associated causative factors and little is known about the aetiology of the rest. Despite this, our understanding of normal and abnormal heart development continues to grow, a number of recent discoveries even challenging long-held concepts. In this review, we highlight some of this new knowledge, emphasising aspects that may be of interest to the clinician.