Second Trimester Screening for Aneuploidy
KEY POINTS Print Section Listen Key Points Quad marker serum screening is the most effective form of Down syndrome screening in the second trimester (81% detection rate at a 5%…
Fetal Intervention
KEY POINTS Print Section Listen Key Points The range of interventional procedures continues to grow with refinements in criteria for treatment, technique, and instrumentation. Shunts work well to decompress thoracic…
Prenatal Diagnostic Procedures
KEY POINTS Print Section Listen Key Points Prenatal diagnostic procedures allow prenatal detection of an ever-expanding list of fetal abnormalities by obtaining genetic, biochemical, and physiologic information about the fetus….
Craniosynostosis
KEY POINTS Print Section Listen Key Points Condition due to premature fusion of cranial sutures (sagittal, coronal, lambdoid, or metopic). Incidence is 1 in 2000 livebirths. One of the most…
Anencephaly
KEY POINTS Print Section Listen Key Points Accounts for approximately one-half of all cases of neural tube defects. Incidence is approximately 0.3/1000 births. Maternal risk factors include Hispanic ethnicity, pregestational…
First Trimester Screening for Aneuploidy
KEY POINTS Print Section Listen Key Points Nuchal translucency measurement in the first trimester is the most powerful marker for fetal Down syndrome. Combination of nuchal translucency with serum markers…
Cerebral Calcifications
KEY POINTS Print Section Listen Key Points Cerebral calcifications are rare and are associated with fetal infections, such as CMV, rubella, toxoplasma, syphilis, and herpes, as well as with trisomies…
Arachnoid Cyst
KEY POINTS Print Section Listen Key Points Arachnoid cysts are rare central nervous system malformations that represent 1% of neonatal intracranial masses. Arachnoid cysts are diagnosed prenatally as a simple,…
Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum
KEY POINTS Print Section Listen Key Points The corpus callosum is a major pathway connecting the two hemispheres of the brain. By the 17th week of gestation, the mature corpus…
Prenatal Imaging
KEY POINTS Print Section Listen Key Points In most cases, ultrasound is the method of choice for imaging the fetus, and the majority of pregnant women in the United States…
