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Objective: To evaluate the relation between fetal nasal bone length (NBL) and biparietal diameter (BPD) at 15-19.9 (20) weeks of gestation by ultrasonography in the Korean population., Methods: The study population included 1268 Korean women (aged between 19 and 45 years) with a singleton pregnancy who registered at the Maternal Fetal Medicine Unit of Samsung Cheil Hospital between September 2003 and February 2005. Ultrasound measurements of NBL were performed using a strict sagittal plan of the fetal head. Other fetal biometry profiles were conducted before amniocentesis for fetal karyotyping., Results: NBL and fetal biometry profiles were measured successfully in 77.9% (988/1268) of the fetuses. NBL was found to increase linearly as a function of BPD (P < 0.001) with a median NBL of 4.4 mm (range 1.9-7.9). NBL increases through 15-19.9 (20) weeks of gestation were given by the equation NBL (mm) = 0.0836 x BPD (mm) + 1.368 (R2 = 0.1, P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Fetal NBL and BPD are linearly related in the second trimester. Fetal NBL in the Korean population is likely to be shorter than that reported for Caucasians and African-Americans., (Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Objective: Intrauterine growth restriction in triploidy has been reported as early as in the first trimester. This study was undertaken to evaluate the ability of first-trimester crown rump length (CRL)-based charts to detect triploid fetuses., Material and Methods: Analysis of fetal biometry in cases of triploidy diagnosed in the first trimester over the last three years. Biometry for abdominal circumference (AC), head circumference (HC) and biparietal diameter (BPD) was analyzed in relation to both gestational age (GA)-based charts and to CRL-based charts., Results: Five cases of fetal triploidy were diagnosed at 11 to 14 weeks. Screening based on nuchal translucency (NT) and maternal age showed a risk > 1/300 in only one of the 5 cases of triploid fetus. In all of these five cases, CRL-based biometry was grossly abnormal, although it was abnormal in only two of these five cases in relation to GA-based charts., Conclusion: First-trimester CRL-based biometry charts seem to reflect early asymmetrical growth delay in triploidy more accurately than GA-based charts. CRL-based biometry is likely to improve the early detection of triploid pregnancies without leading to dating error.

Objectives: Prenatal diagnosis by ultrasound of fetal polymicrogyria has been reported only once., Methods: We describe an additional case of polymicrogyria in a fetus from a monozygotic twin pair, probably the consequence of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome., Results: On ultrasound, there were bilateral cortical hyperechogenic spots, and prenatal magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated the typical features of bilateral focal polymicrogyria., Conclusion: Polymicrogyria can be considered in the differential diagnosis of hyperechogenic brain lesions on fetal ultrasound. We also confirm the risk of brain damage in monochorionic twins pregnancies and the likely hypoxic-ischemic etiology of polymicrogyria., (Copyright (c) 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)