Investigation regarding the feasibilityof early neurosonogram in open spina bifida detection

D. G. Iliescu,

Abstract: To investigate the feasibility of recently described markers of fetal neurosonogram, in first trimester detection of open spina bifida (OSB). We retrospectively assessed the dates from September 2007 - September 2010 of fetuses that underwent routine 11-13 weeks’ scan. Accessibility to stored neurosonogram parameters was evaluated in 3D dates from 1149 normal fetuses. Dates from 2 studied fetuses diagnosed with SB during this period were used to evaluate the parameters.IT was considered an accessible parameter (95.51% rate of retrospective satisfactory-considered images); mean values increased with crown-rump length and abnormal values were found in both OSB cases. The measurements are repeatable and show no significant differences between 2D and 3D evaluation. In our knowledge studies regarding the comparative analysis of first trimester OSB markers have never been published. Preliminary results suggest that posterior brain measurements may offer the possibility of first trimester diagnosis of open SB. In normal neurological fetuses the measurements correlates with gestational age, are reproducible and the results obtained by 3D and 2D ultrasound are similar.
Keywords: neurosonogram, spina bifida, first trimester screening, mid-sagittal view, intracranial translucency, three-dimensional ultrasound