title: Can three-dimensional ultrasound be used for the assessment of the fetal lung volume in cases of congenital diaphragmatic hernia?
abstract: We report on 2 fetuses with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) in whom the fetal lung volumes were estimated by three-dimensional ultrasound and the results compared with the postmortem lung volume measurements. Both examiners (sonographer and pathologist) were blinded to each other's results. The 1st case was a right CDH diagnosed at 20 weeks of gestation. The 2nd case was a left CDH diagnosed at 22 weeks of gestation. Both pregnancies were terminated upon request of the parents. Three-dimensional ultrasound estimation of the fetal lung volume was performed 1 day before termination of pregnancy using the technique of rotation of the three perpendicular planes. The left and right lung volumes estimated by three-dimensional ultrasound were 3.88 and 1.87 cm(3), respectively, in the 1st case and 0 and 5.52 cm(3), respectively, in the 2nd case. On postmortem examination, the left and right lung volumes were 3.0 and 2.2 cm(3), respectively, in case 1 and 1.1 and 5.6 cm(3), respectively, in case 2. This suggests that a three-dimensional estimation of pulmonary volumes may be correlated with postmortem findings in cases with CDH.
authors.affiliation: Maternité, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Université Paris V et AP-HP, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ruano
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benachi
authors.forename: Jéléna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martinovic
authors.forename: Anne-Gaëlle
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Grebille
authors.forename: Marie-Cécile
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Aubry
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dumez
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dommergues
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006548:Hernia, Diaphragmatic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D065630:Hernias, Diaphragmatic, Congenital; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000196:embryology*; D006831:Polyhydramnios; D011247:Pregnancy; D011379:Prognosis; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods*