Congenital dacryocystocele: prenatal MRI findings.
BACKGROUND
Congenital dacryocystocele can be diagnosed prenatally by imaging. Prenatal MRI is increasingly utilized for fetal diagnosis.


OBJECTIVE
To present the radiological and clinical features of seven fetuses with congenital dacryocystocele diagnosed with prenatal MRI.


METHODS
The institutional database of 1,028 consecutive prenatal MR examinations performed during a period of 4 years was reviewed retrospectively. The cases of congenital dacryocystocele were identified by reading the report of each MRI study.


RESULTS
The incidence of dacryocystocele diagnosed with prenatal MRI was 0.7% (n = 7/1,028). The dacryocystocele was bilateral in three fetuses. Mean gestational age at the time of diagnosis was 31 weeks. The indication for prenatal MRI was the presence or the suspicion of central nervous system abnormality in six fetuses and diaphragmatic hernia in one. Dacryocystocele was associated with an intranasal cyst in six of ten eyes. Prenatal sonography revealed dacryocystocele in only two of seven fetuses. Of eight eyes with postnatal follow-up, four did not have any lacrimal symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
Prenatal MRI can delineate congenital dacryocystocele more clearly and in a more detailed fashion than ultrasonography. Presence of dacryocystocele was symptomatic in only 50% of our patients, supporting that prenatal diagnosis of dacryocystocele might follow a benign course.
Yazici
Zeynep
Z
Department of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA. zyazici@uludag.edu.tr
Kline-Fath
Beth M
BM
Yazici
Bulent
B
Rubio
Eva I
EI
Calvo-Garcia
Maria A
MA
Linam
Leann E
LE
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007766:Lacrimal Apparatus Diseases / Q000151:congenital* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D009820:Ohio / Q000453:epidemiology; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity