Study on prenatal diagnosis of fetal malformations of cortical development by ultrasonography

Abstract

Objective To explore sonographic manifestation of fetal malformations of cortical development.Methods From August 2012 to January 2014 three hundred and twenty-five pregnancy women referred to our institution for fetal brain MRI,which were diagnosed or suspected of central nervous system abnormalities by prenatal ultrasound examination.Results In 325 of cases,14 cases (4％) were diagnosed of malformations of cortical development.Ten eases were indicated by prenatal ultrasound,including three cases of heterotopic gray matter,six cases of microcephaly and one case of hemimegalencephaly; four cases were missed by prenatal ultrasound,including two cases of schizencephaly,one case of tuberous sclerosis,and one case of hypoplasia.Conclusions Cortical malformations can be diagnosed by prenatal ultrasonography based on typical imaging characteristics.Prenatal ultrasound combined with MRI is a powerful tool in diagnosing fetal malformations of cortical development. Key words: Ultrasonography, prenatal; Malformations of cortical development; Magnetic resonance imaging