title: Caution: prenatal clubfoot can be both a transient and a late-onset phenomenon.
abstract: Clubfoot (talipes equinovarus) is a common orthopaedic malformation that can be accurately diagnosed prenatally. The study was conducted to investigate possible in utero visualization of transient and late-onset clubfoot. Early (13-16 weeks' gestation) prenatal transvaginal sonographic diagnosis of clubfoot deformity was made in 36 cases during the study period. Only those cases where follow-up examination revealed different sonographic findings were considered. The results showed that seven cases of transient (as well as relapsing) clubfoot were identified. In 4 of 7 cases, the clubfoot resolved (all after more than 10 min of observation) during the same examination. In the fifth and sixth cases, it initially resolved, later reappearing in follow-up examinations (20 and 22 weeks' gestation). In the seventh case, the clubfoot persisted for two consecutive examinations (2 weeks apart each) and later disappeared. In addition, six late-onset (22-24 weeks' gestation) clubfoot cases were identified during the study period. Although infrequent, in utero clubfoot can be both a transient and a late-onset phenomenon. Over- and under-diagnosis are potential hazards in these situations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bar-Hava
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bronshtein
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Orvieto
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shalev
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stal
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ben-Rafael
mesh_terms: D003025:Clubfoot / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000196:embryology*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal