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RESEARCH PRODUCT

OC2.01: Examination of the fetal brain by three-dimensional ultrasound: potential for routine neurosonographic studies

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Objective: To evaluate the role of three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound in the assessment of the fetal brain and its potential for routine neurosonographic studies. Methods: We studied prospectively 202 consecutive brain fetuses between 16 and 24 weeks’ gestation. A 3D-ultrasound volume of the fetal head was acquired transabdominally. The entire brain anatomy was later analyzed by a sonologist expert in neonatal cranial sonography using the multiplanar images. The quality of the conventional planes obtained (coronal, sagittal and axial, at different levels) and the ability to visualize properly the major brain anatomic structures were evaluated. Results: Acceptable rendered cerebral volumes were obtained in 92% of the cases. Corpus callosum could be seen in 84%, the fourth ventricle in 72%, the Sylvian fissure in 86%, the cingulate sulcus in 75%, the cerebellar lobules in 98%, the cerebellar vermis in 92%, the medulla oblongata in 97%, the calcarine fissure in 52%, the parieto-occipital fissure in 51% and the cavum vergae in 9% of these patients. The thalami, the pons and the cisterna magna were identified in all cases. Conclusion: The multiplanar images obtained by 3D ultrasound provide a simple and effective approach for detailed evaluation of the fetal brain anatomy. This technique has the potential to be used in the routine fetal anomaly scan.