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Objective: To describe a technique for the visualization and measurement of cerebral aqueduct diameter through a 2D sagittal median plane, and to report its aspect and measurement in fetuses with aqueductal stenosis (AS).Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 207 morphologically normal fetuses in low-risk pregnancies between 20 and 36 weeks of gestation. The cerebral aqueduct was visualized transvaginally in a midsagittal plane, and measurements of its greatest diameter (ampulla) were taken independently by an expert and a nonexpert sonographer. In addition, the aqueduct morphology from 7 fetuses with AS and complete follow-up were compared to the reference range.Results: Aqueductal measurements were obtained in 206 of 207 normal fetuses. Aqueductal growth occurred linearly with gestational age. Our method demonstrated excellent interobserver reproducibility. Among the 7 fetuses with AS, the aqueductal lumen could not be identified in 6 and had a funneling aspect in 1.Discussion: Our study demonstrated that it is possible to visualize and measure the cerebral aqueduct directly through a 2D ultrasound median plane. In fetuses with severe ventriculomegaly, the morphology and width of this structure could represent a relevant tool in improving AS diagnosis, differentiating it from other causes of significant ventricular dilation that carry a different outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore corpus callosum (CC) developmental differences by ultrasound in late-onset small fetuses compared with adequate for gestational age (AGA) controls. Study Design: Ninety four small (estimated fetal weight <10th centile) and 71 AGA fetuses were included. Small fetuses were further subdivided into fetal growth restriction (IUGR, n = 64) and small for gestational age (SGA, n = 30) based on poor perinatal outcome factors, that is, birth weight <3rd centile and/or abnormal cerebroplacental ratio and/or uterine artery Doppler. The entire cohort was scanned to assess CC by transvaginal neurosonography obtaining axial, coronal and midsagittal images. CC length, thickness, total area and the areas after a subdivision in 7 portions were evaluated by semiautomatic software. Furthermore, the weekly average growth of the CC in each study group was calculated and compared. Results: Small fetuses showed significantly shorter (small fetuses: 0.49 vs. AGA: 0.52; p < 0.01) and smaller CC (1.83 vs. 2.03; p < 0.01) with smaller splenium (0.47 vs. 0.55; p < 0.01) compared to controls. The CC growth rate was also reduced when compared to controls. Changes were more prominent in small fetuses with abnormal cerebroplacental Doppler suggesting fetal growth restriction. Conclusions: Neurosonographic assessment of CC showed significantly altered callosal development, suggesting in-utero brain reorganization in small fetuses. This data support the potential value of CC assessment by US to monitor brain development in fetuses at risk. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe to our knowledge the first case of meningioangiomatosis identified in a second trimester fetus. A 30-year-old pregnant woman was attended at our hospital for a second-trimester ultrasound screening scan. With a diagnosis of partial agenesis of the corpus callosum, the parents requested termination of the pregnancy. At autopsy, frontal serial sections of the fetal brain disclosed a short corpus callosum that lacked the posterior splenium, confirming the sonographic diagnosis. At close inspection, a slight bilateral hardening of both medial aspects of the frontal lobes and anterior genu of the corpus callosum was found associated with meningeal adhesion between both frontal lobes. Microscopically, cerebral cortex and corpus callosum were permeated by intersecting bundles of spindle cells with eosinophilic cytoplasm and bland, round nuclei, with a fibroblast or meningothelial-like appearance surrounding abundant blood vessels, consistent with the diagnosis of meningioangiomatosis. According to this finding, meningioangiomatosis must be included in the differential diagnosis of meningocortical fetal lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jarcho-Levin syndrome (JLS; spondylothoracic dysplasia) is a congenital disease characterized by multiple vertebral and rib malformations, causing a short trunk dwarfism commonly leading to respiratory insufficiency and death during the first years of life. We describe a case diagnosed during the second trimester routine ultrasound scan for screening of fetal anomalies without a previous family history. The fetus had a severe disorganization of the spine and ribs, skeletal kyphosis, with several hemivertebrae and a small thorax. All of the findings at postmortem examination confirmed the ultrasound features and were consistent with the JLS. To the best of our knowledge there is only one case reported in the literature of a prenatal diagnosis of the syndrome in a family with low risk for the condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: ObjectiveTo investigate the predictive value of ultrasonographic parameters as prognostic indicators of implantation after IVF when measured on the day of embryo transfer.: DesignComparative, observational study.: SettingUniversity teaching hospital.: Patient(s)Two hundred eighty patients undergoing IVF.: Intervention(s)Ovarian stimulation, IVF.: Main outcome measure(s)Variables related to patients’ clinical characteristics, treatment characteristics, ovarian response, ovum retrieval, outcome of IVF and ICSI, embryo transfer, ultrasonographic and Doppler endometrial measurements, and uterine blood flow that have been proposed as potential predictive factors of implantation. All transvaginal ultrasonographic assessments were performed on the day of embryo transfer.: Result(s)Among 240 patients finally evaluable, 67 (group 1) became pregnant after IVF, and 173 (group 2) failed to conceive. The 111 nonpregnant patients who had the same embryo score per replacement (group 3) as did patients in group 1 were selected for comparison purposes. The only significant differences between groups 1 and 3 were the type A endometrium and the absence of a protodiastolic notch in the uterine arteries, both of which were more frequently found in group 1. However, a considerable overlap existed between conception and nonconception cycles regarding both variables.: Conclusion(s)Ultrasonographic parameters as predictors of implantation in assisted reproduction have a limited value in the clinical setting. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]