The Incidence of the Agenesis of Fetal Ductus Venosus at the 11-13 Weeks' Ultrasound Examination.

Abstract

The objective is to examine the incidence of agenesis offetal ductus venosus (DV) at the routine ultrasound examination at 11-13 weeks. This is a retrospective study on women presenting for screening for chromosomal abnormalities. The fetal DV was routinely examined by color Doppler in the sagittal view. Out of 8,304 fetuses examined, there were 13 cases of DV agenesis (0.15%). The umbilical vein drainage was intra-hepatic in two-thirds of the cases, and all resulted in normal live births. In the remaining one-third of cases, the umbilical vein drained to the inferior vena cava and all had a poor outcome because of aneuploidies, cardiac defects, and Noonan syndrome. Fetal DV agenesis occurs in about one in 650 fetuses and the majority of cases have a benign course and a favorable outcome. Failure to identify the DV should prompt a detailed ultrasound examination, identification of the drainage site of the umbilical vein, and genetic testing.