Ultrasound assessment of the fetal oral cavity - our experience

Abstract

Introduction. The oral cavity can be assessed by ultrasound from 11 weeks onwards, in a more and more detailed manner as pregnancy progresses. Method. Our study followed 100 first trimester cases (11-13,6 weeks) and 100 second-trimester cases, following two different protocols. Results and discussions. The used protocols targeted mainly the diagnosis of facial clefts, but also other abnormalities of the oral cavity were reported. The results showed that protocols designed were efficient and easy to follow. This paper also presents three pathological cases that were encountered during this study: two facial clefts with moderate and severe involvement of the posterior palate and one case of Pierre-Robin syndrome diagnosed with the help of our standardized protocol by detecting an abnormal profile and an abnormal position of the tongue. Conclusion. The protocols we developed seem to work in a standard scan without creating difficulties in the normal workflow. All sonographers participating in the study, from PhD students to experienced examiners, found the protocols useful and felt they increased the confidence in the diagnosis of oro-facial pathology or even in confirming the normal aspect.