Potential pitfalls in fetal neurosonography.
OBJECTIVE
To present anatomic variants of the fetal brain and artifacts related to scanning techniques that could be misinterpreted as abnormalities on prenatal neurosonographic studies.


METHODS
The findings were derived from fetal neurosonographic studies performed routinely from 16 to 36 weeks' gestation during the last 3 years, supervised by a sonologist specialized in neonatal cranial sonography.


RESULTS
The pitfalls were divided into three groups: brain parenchyma, ventricular system and choroid plexus. We provide images of these pseudolesions and clues to their differentiation from true brain pathology.


CONCLUSIONS
Knowledge of misleading images seen on fetal neurosonographic studies that could be misinterpreted as lesions is essential for the proper interpretation of these studies and will help avoid the use of more invasive diagnostic tests. To the best of our knowledge, the majority of the pitfalls presented here have only been described in neonates.
Correa
Flavia F
FF
Unidad de Pediatría, Instituto Universitario Valenciano de Infertilidad, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain. ummf@ivi.es
Lara
Coral
C
Bellver
José
J
Remohí
José
J
Pellicer
Antonio
A
Serra
Vicente
V
D016477:Artifacts; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000196:embryology / Q000473:pathology; D002831:Choroid Plexus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal