Discordance of prenatal and neonatal brain development in twins

Discordance of birth weight has been observed in twin pairs, though little is known about prenatal and early neonatal discordance of head and brain size, and the role that zygosity and chorionicity play in discordances of early brain development in twins

Prenatal Mild Ventriculomegaly Predicts Abnormal Development of the Neonatal Brain

Many psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders are associated with mild enlargement of the lateral ventricles thought to have origins in prenatal brain development. Little is known about development of the lateral ventricles and the relationship of prenatal lateral ventricle enlargement with postnatal brain development

Ultrasound

xiv. 610 hln.; ill.; 28.5 c

Normal Fetal Pelvis: Important Factors for Morphometric Characterization with US

PURPOSE: To prospectively evaluate iliac angle and iliac length in a large number of normal fetuses and to identify factors that may influence these measurements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: At antenatal ultrasonography (US) in 356 fetuses, the iliac angle and iliac length were measured at two axial levels (superior and inferior). In mixed linear models, the statistical significance and magnitude of effect on the measurement of iliac angle and iliac length were estimated for gestational age, fetal sex, maternal diabetes status, axial level, and spine position relative to the transducer. RESULTS: Statistically significant effects were found for gestational age, axial level, and spine orientation but not for fetal sex or maternal diabetes status. The iliac angle was found to decrease by 15.7 degrees from the superior to inferior portion of the pelvis, decrease by approximately 0.37 degrees /wk, and decrease by as much as 15.6 degrees when the spine is directed to the side. Iliac length was found to increase by 0.8 mm/wk from 13 weeks to term, decrease by 1.2 mm from the superior to the inferior portion of the pelvis, and increase by as much as 1.29 mm when the spine is not directly subjacent to the transducer. CONCLUSION: The axial level of measurement, gestational age, and spine orientation must be accounted for if these morphometric indexes are used to discriminate fetuses with and those without Down syndrome

The anterior iliac separation: alternative index for pelvic morphometry in fetuses with Down syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to assess the diagnostic use of an anterior iliac separation measurement as an alternative index for the iliac angle in the assessment of fetal pelvic morphometry. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In 358 fetuses, the anterior iliac separation, iliac length, and iliac angle were prospectively measured on antenatal sonography. All measurements were obtained at two axial levels (superior and inferior). The gestational age of the fetus was recorded. The anterior iliac separation was normalized by iliac length, and coefficients of variation were calculated for all measurements. The effects of axial level and gestational age were assessed in a linear regression model. The diagnostic use of the anterior iliac separation relative to that of the iliac angle was assessed in a comparison of 24 fetuses with Down syndrome and 247 non-Down syndrome fetuses. RESULTS: The anterior iliac separation was less variable than the iliac angle at both superior and inferior levels. There were statistically significant effects for gestational age and axial level on both the anterior iliac separation and the iliac angle, but there was no significant effect for either factor when the anterior iliac separation was normalized by the iliac length. Comparing Down and non-Down syndrome fetuses, we found that the normalized anterior iliac separation had discriminating power similar to the iliac angle. CONCLUSION: The linear measurement of the anterior iliac separation has diagnostic properties similar to the iliac angle and is subject to less measurement variability. This simpler measurement may be particularly useful when normalized by the iliac length