Chorionic bump: ultrasound predictor of adverse pregnancy outcome

Abstract

For the first time R. Harris et al. in 2006 a chorionic bump was described, detected by ultrasound examination in the first trimester of pregnancy, having characteristic ultrasound signs and localization. Modern knowledge about the etiology and clinical significance of chorionic bump for predicting the outcome of pregnancy is insufficient and contradictory. Inconsistency of the data may be due to the rarity of occurrence, a small sample of the studied groups, the lack of histopathological studies. Among doctors who make ultrasound investigations there is a low awareness of chorionic bump and as a result an erroneous interpretation of sonography data. Nevertheless, there is more and more evidence that this sign is a predictor of an adverse outcome of pregnancy. Doctors who make ultrasound investigations in the first trimester of pregnancy should be aware of the chorionic bump and be able to differentiate it with other pathological conditions. If a chorionic bump is detected, ultrasound examination in dynamics should be recommended. Based on the study of domestic and foreign literature, this scientific review presents modern ideas about the pathomorphology of chorionic bump, informations about significance in terms of predicting the outcome of pregnancy, and the main aspects of ultrasound diagnostics and differential diagnosis of this pathology.