title: Prenatal diagnosis and management of abdominal diseases in pediatric surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate the prenatal courses and management of abdominal surgical diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Of the 327 patients registered with our fetal treatment board since March 2002, 83 fetuses referred to the surgical department were enrolled for the current study. The prenatal diagnosis, sequential fetal images, and perinatal courses of these cases were reviewed retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 83 cases, abdominal diseases were suspected in 34, lung and thoracic diseases in 25, genitourinary diseases in 12, and other anomalies in 12. Meconium peritonitis (MP), intestinal obstruction, and abdominal wall defects accounted for approximately 65% of the abdominal diseases. Five patients with prenatally diagnosed lung diseases underwent fetal surgical intervention, and 17 of the 22 liveborn patients survived. In contrast, none of the patients with prenatally diagnosed abdominal anomalies underwent fetal surgical intervention, yet, 23 of the 24 liveborn patients survived. However, preterm labor and hydrops were seen frequently in the patients with giant cystic MP, suggesting a fetal critical condition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the clinical outcome of abdominal diseases seemed favorable with postnatal treatment, the current results suggested the occurrence of hidden mortality in utero and the potential need for fetal intervention for some abdominal conditions, such as MP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kitano
authors.forename: Toshiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Honna
authors.forename: Haruhiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sago
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Morihiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saeki
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies