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.
Department of Prenatal Diagnosis, Strasbourg, France. echofcmc@imaginet.fr
Romain
R
Favre
Sophie
S
Dreux
Marc
M
Dommergues
Yves
Y
Dumez
Dominique
D
Luton
Jean-François
JF
Oury
Bernard Le
BL
Fiblec
Israel
I
Nisand
Françoise
F
Muller
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