title: Prenatal screening and diagnosis of neural tube defects.
abstract: This review article discusses prenatal screening and diagnosis of neural tube defects (NTD). High detection rates occur in countries operating ultrasound screening programmes because classical two-dimensional ultrasound cranial signs (lemon shaped head, banana cerebellum, ventriculomegaly) are important diagnostic clues to the presence of spina bifida. Careful evaluation of both the spine and a search for other abnormalities is warranted. Important prognostic information for spina bifida relates to the lesion level, with a "watershed" between L3 and L4 marking a very high chance of being wheelchair bound with the higher lesions. Three-dimensional ultrasound using multiplanar views can achieve diagnostic accuracy within one vertebral body in around 80% of patients. There are high rates of pregnancy termination for spina bifida in many European countries, but the use of new imagining techniques allow better prediction of outcome, and consequently a refinement of prenatal counselling.
authors.affiliation: Fetal Medicine Department, Leazes Wing, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 4LP, UK.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Moran
mesh_terms: D000757:Anencephaly / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000196:embryology; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D003376:Counseling; D004677:Encephalocele / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000196:embryology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008588:Meningocele / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000196:embryology; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000196:embryology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D016135:Spinal Dysraphism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000196:embryology; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins