Early antenatal diagnosis of spina bifida presenting with a "step" in the posterior contour of an 8-week embryo.
We report a case of spina bifida in the upper thoracic spine with an accompanying meningocoele suspected at 8 weeks' gestation via transvaginal sonography and confirmed at 13 weeks' gestation via 3-dimensional sonography. The fetal cranial vault and intracranial structures were normal. The only finding in the 8-week sonogram was a subtle angulation or "step" in the posterior contour of the embryo; this may be attributed to kyphosis, which often accompanies this condition. The presence of a "step" in the fetal contour must alert the sonologist to the possibility of spina bifida. To our knowledge, this is the earliest antenatal diagnosis of spina bifida.
Lulla
Chander
C
Ria Clinic, Mumbai, India.
Hegde
Amogh
A
Shah
Jatin
J
Sheth
Jayesh
J
D000028:Abortion, Induced; D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008588:Meningocele / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011247:Pregnancy; D016136:Spina Bifida Occulta / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal