title: Outcome of infants presenting with echogenic bowel in the second trimester of pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Fetal echogenic bowel (FEB) is a soft marker found on second trimester sonography. Our main aim was to determine the outcome of infants who presented with FEB and secondarily to identify additional sonographic findings that might have clinical relevance for the prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed all pregnancies in which the diagnosis FEB was made in our Fetal Medicine Unit during 2009-2010 (N=121). We divided all cases into five groups according to additional sonographic findings. Group 1 consisted of cases of isolated FEB, group 2 of FEB associated with dilated bowels, group 3 of FEB with one or two other soft markers, group 4 of FEB with major congenital anomalies or three or more other soft markers, and group 5 consisted of FEB with isolated intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 121 cases, five were lost to follow-up. Of the remaining 116 cases, 48 (41.4%) were assigned to group 1, 15 (12.9%) to group 2, 15 (12.9%) to group 3, 27 (23.2%) to group 4, and 11 (9.5%) to group 5. The outcome for group 1 was uneventful. In group 2 and 3, two anomalies, anorectal malformation and cystic fibrosis, were detected postnatally (6.7%). In group 4, mortality and morbidity were high (78% resp. 22%). Group 5 also had high mortality (82%) and major morbidity (18%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  If FEB occurs in isolation, it is a benign condition carrying a favourable prognosis. If multiple additional anomalies or early IUGR are observed, the prognosis tends to be less favourable to extremely poor.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, P.O. Box 30.001, Groningen 9700 RB, The Netherlands. h.d.buiter@umcg.nl
authors.forename: Hannah D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Buiter
authors.forename: Marloes A G
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Holswilder-Olde Scholtenhuis
authors.forename: Katelijne
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bouman
authors.forename: Robertine
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Baren
authors.forename: Caterina M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Bilardo
authors.forename: Arend F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Bos
mesh_terms: D058535:Echogenic Bowel / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009017:Morbidity; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods*