VP09.07: Correlation between prenatal echogenic and/or dilated bowel and neonatal outcomes

Abstract

Echogenic and/or dilated bowel is often encountered on prenatal ultrasound and may represent a feature of gastrointestinal pathology, chromosomal abnormality or sign of prenatal infection. Prenatal differentiation between transient, physiological versus pathological manifestation is often difficult and remain uncertain. As a consequence, patients' counselling and timely involvement of pediatric surgeons is challenging. We aimed to review prenatal cases with echogenic or/and dilated bowel and analyse their neonatal outcomes. This is a retrospective observational study. All ultrasound scans demonstrating fetal echogenic and/or dilated bowel were retrieved from the viewpoint and grouped into three categories: 1. echogenic; 2. dilated and 3. combined cases. Bowel echogenicity has been defined as grade 1 to 3, in relation to the surrounding liver or bone echogenicity. Bowel dilatation is defined as the largest diameter measuring >7mm during second and third trimester. Out of 26,353 screened prenatal ultrasound scans: 30, 3 and 8 cases were identified with bowel echogenicity (grade 2 or 3), dilatation and their combination respectively. 9/41 (21%) neonates had confirmed gastrointestinal related pathologies; 5 with echogenic and 2 from each, dilated and combined bowel abnormalities group. 3/30 (10%) cases with echogenic and 1/8 (13%) case with dilated bowel required postnatal intestinal surgery. None among neonates with combined echogenic and dilated bowel exhibited structural intestinal abnormality that needed surgical correction. Prenatal diagnosis of isolated echogenic and/or dilated bowel carries overall favourable neonatal outcomes. However, still minority of cases with fetal echogenic or dilated bowel may elucidate of possible gastrointestinal abnormalities that require thorough parents' counselling, prenatal work up and multidisciplinary team involvement. Further research is needed to more precisely define prenatal ultrasound features of severe gastrointestinal abnormalities that require neonatal interventions.