title: Syndromes with focal femoral deficiency: strengths and weaknesses of prenatal sonography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To further characterize the prenatal diagnosis of proximal focal femoral deficiency and to contrast this entity with a variety of other "syndromes" in which the femur may be deficient.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report 2 cases of proximal focal femoral deficiency and a case of femoral-facial syndrome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A series of 3 women whose fetuses had deficiency of 1 or both femurs were carefully analyzed for severity and for similarities and differences with other syndromes in which the femur may be deficient, as well as syndromes showing global skeletal abnormalities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prenatal sonography is a valuable tool both for detecting cases of proximal focal femoral deficiency, separating them from syndromes showing global skeletal abnormalities, and for stratifying them according to severity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of California, San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Ave, L-374, San Francisco, California 94143-0628, USA. roy.filly@radiology.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Anthony L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Filly
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Robnett-Filly
authors.forename: Roy A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Filly
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D010009:Osteochondrodysplasias / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal