Prenatal/postnatal imaging of the gastrointestinal tract and spine

Abstract

Participants will understand: 1) the embryology of the fetal GI tract and spine; 2) normal sonographic appearance of the fetal GI tract and spine; 3) common and unusual anomalies of the GI tract/spine; 4) role of 3-D fetal ultrasound and fetal MRI; 5) modalities for postnatal imaging (plain film, radiology, sonography, contrast studies, CT, and MRI). In this lecture, after review of embryologic development of the fetal GI tract and spine, the normal and abnormal appearance of these organ systems will be discussed. In the GI tract, echogenic bowel dilated bowel abdominal wall defects abdomino/pelvic masses fetal ascites will be presented. In the fetal spine (aneucephaly, eucephalocede, spina bifida), abnormal spine curvature abnormal ossification spinal segmentation anomalies will be presented.