Survey on the announcement of congenital diaphragmatic hernia by sonographers and evaluation of its prognosis]

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a rare disease (1/3000 live births). Carriers display a diaphragmatic defect responsible for an impaired pulmonary development and physiology. The aim of this study was to evaluate the information given to couples whose fetus display a CDH and the current knowledge of French sonographers about this disease.A questionnaire was sent by email to 2000 sonographers, members of the French college of fetal ultrasonography, between May 1st and December 31st of 2010.20,7 % (414) of the sonographers answered. Twenty-four percent are second line sonographers. Thirty-eight percent did not diagnose any diaphragmatic hernia in the last five years (2005-2010) and 42 % diagnosed 1 or 2 during the same period. Information concerning the prognostic remains elusive and most sonographers rapidly referred patients to prenatal diagnostic centers. Fifty-nine percent of sonographer are not aware of the existence in France of a Centre for Rare Disease for CDH.Accurate assessment of prognosis is essential to provide adequate information to couples and to help them make a decision on whether or not to perform an in utero treatment. The heterogenous results of the survey clearly show the disparities between sonographers on the type of information delivered. A better diffusion of prognostic evaluation in CDH, among sonographers is needed.