Objective To assess the incidence and impact of extracardiac anomalies on the prognosis of fetuses with heterotaxy syndrome.Methods All fetuses diagnosed with heterotaxy syndrome by three experienced examiners over a period of 14 years (1999-2013)

Percutaneous minimally invasive fetoscopic patch closure of spina bifida aperta offers a substantially less maternal trauma than open fetal surgical repair and currently may even obviate the need for postnatal neurosurgical repair. With a little further improvement in surgical techniques and a better understanding of incorporating surgical patches into the fetus, complete skin closure seems possible in the near future.

The presence of an ARSA is more common in fetuses with trisomy 21 and other chromosomal defects than in healthy fetuses. Although it can be considered as a weak marker, the second trimester diagnosis of an ARSA should prompt a detailed search for additional "soft markers" and structural defects.

After routine amniocentesis patients have an additional procedure-related risk of spontaneous pregnancy loss equivalent to 0.5 %. The absence of risk factors in the patient's history does not reduce this additional risk.

Prenatal diagnosis of CNS pathologies should result in parental counseling. Sufficient diagnostic information, statistical data, and experience of the involved professionals are essential. These results show that in detecting congenital CNS abnormalities fMRI is superior to ultrasound and should be considered in difficult cases.