Abstract
Fetal MRI is increasingly being used to more accurately assess abnormalities detected on screening ultrasound. This procedure is more pertinent when the initial ultrasound is done late in the third trimester and when the abnormality involves the posterior fossa of the brain. Four cases with a variety of unusual posterior fossa anomalies are presented.
Highlights
Prenatal ultrasound (US) is the investigation of choice when screening for fetal abnormalities
When an intracranial abnormality is detected on US within the posterior fossa, a fetal MRI is the investigation of choice, to accurately characterise and diagnose the abnormality
Patients often present as unbooked pregnancies in the third trimester. At this late stage of pregnancy, the sensitivity of US decreases owing to ossification of the cranium and the relative size of the fetus compared with the volume of liquor, making fetal MRI more valuable
Summary
Prenatal ultrasound (US) is the investigation of choice when screening for fetal abnormalities. When an intracranial abnormality is detected on US within the posterior fossa, a fetal MRI is the investigation of choice, to accurately characterise and diagnose the abnormality. Patients often present as unbooked pregnancies in the third trimester. At this late stage of pregnancy, the sensitivity of US decreases owing to ossification of the cranium and the relative size of the fetus compared with the volume of liquor, making fetal MRI more valuable. Fetal MRI scans diagnosed four specific posterior fossa abnormalities including a Dandy-Walker malformation, a Joubert syndrome and related disorder, an occipital encephalocoele, and an occipital bone lesion
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