title: Prenatal diagnosis of congenital vascular rings and slings: sonographic features and perinatal outcome in 81 consecutive cases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the sonographic features and perinatal outcome of congenital vascular rings diagnosed prenatally at a single tertiary care institution.
  
  
  METHODS
  All cases of congenital vascular rings diagnosed by prenatal ultrasound between July 2005 and December 2009 were identified at a single referral center using an established perinatal database. The diagnosis was confirmed by postnatal echocardiography for live-born infants or autopsy for terminated cases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall incidence of vascular ring during this 5-year period was 0.086% (81 cases among 94 321 women undergoing perinatal ultrasound examination). Forty-four cases had complete O-shaped (n = 3) or U-shaped (n = 41) vascular rings, and 37 cases had incomplete C-shaped vascular rings (vascular slings). The most common type of vascular ring seen in 50.6% (41/81) of cases was a right aortic arch with aberrant left subclavian artery. The second most common type was a left aortic arch with an aberrant right subclavian artery [39.5% (32/81)]. Chromosomal analysis was performed prenatally in 46 pregnancies, and six cases (13.0%) of fetal aneuploidy were identified.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Congenital vascular rings can be diagnosed with prenatal ultrasound using the three-vessel trachea view and subsequent fetal echocardiography with particular attention to the relationship of the aortic arches, ductal arches, and the trachea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Affiliated to Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China. lishengli63@126.com
authors.forename: Shengli
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Guoyang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Errol R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Norwitz
authors.forename: Chenhong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shuyuan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ouyang
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Congying
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Huaxuan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Xiulan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jingru
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bi
mesh_terms: D000783:Aneurysm / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D001015:Aortic Arch Syndromes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D018376:Cardiovascular Abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008954:Models, Biological; D010641:Phenotype; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013348:Subclavian Artery / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D054079:Vascular Malformations / Q000145:classification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology