Nonimmune fetal ascites: a series of 79 cases.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to analyze the precision of ultrasonography in defining the cause and prognosis in fetal ascites.


METHODS
We conducted a retrospective study of 79 cases of fetal ascites.


RESULTS
The mortality rate was 57% overall and ranged from 100% (7/7 cases) for metabolic storage disease to 0% (0/3 cases) in chylous ascites. Ascites before 24 weeks of gestation or combined with fetal hydrops indicates poor prognosis (respectively, 78.6% vs 45% mortality rate after 24 weeks; P<.01; and 77% vs 50.8% without hydrops; P<.02). Ascites was organic in 45 cases, infectious in 13 cases, idiopathic in 12 cases, and genetic in 9 cases. The cause was defined ultrasonographically in 28 of the 45 organic ascites and in 8 of the 25 isolated ascites. Urinary cause was the most frequent and the most successfully specified cause (14/15 cases).


CONCLUSIONS
Routine ultrasonography detects fetal ascites, but the cause is extremely variable and difficult to specify. When associated with fetal hydrops, the prognosis is poor.
Favre
Romain
R
Department of Prenatal Diagnosis, Strasbourg, France. echofcmc@imaginet.fr
Dreux
Sophie
S
Dommergues
Marc
M
Dumez
Yves
Y
Luton
Dominique
D
Oury
Jean-François
JF
Fiblec
Bernard Le
BL
Nisand
Israel
I
Muller
Françoise
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001201:Ascites / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D015160:Hydrops Fetalis / Q000150:complications; D011247:Pregnancy; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal