Perinatal and short-term neonatal outcomes of posterior fossa anomalies.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the perinatal and neonatal outcomes for fetuses with posterior fossa (PF) anomalies - mega-cisterna magna (MCM), persistent Blake's pouch (PBP) or the Dandy-Walker continuum (DWC) - using a new classification.


METHODS
46 cases with PF anomaly diagnosed on ultrasound (US) between 16 and 28 weeks' gestation were included. The images were reviewed and classified as one of the following: MCM, PBP or DWC. Outcomes were obtained from patient records.


RESULTS
30 cases with DWC, 6 with MCM, and 10 with PBP were identified. Associated anomalies were present in all groups, but more frequent in DWC. Agenesis of the corpus callosum and ventriculomegaly were more common in DWC than in MCM or PBP. Only fetuses with DWC were found to have chromosomal abnormalities. Perinatal outcomes differed significantly, with terminations of pregnancy more frequent in DWC. In the immediate postnatal period, infants with DWC had worse outcomes than those with MCM and PBP. Across all groups, those with associated anomalies had worse outcomes than those with an isolated PF anomaly.


CONCLUSIONS
Infants antenatally diagnosed with DWC had worse perinatal and short-term neonatal outcomes than those with MCM or PBP. Those with associated anomalies had uniformly poorer outcomes than those with isolated anomalies.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Rim
R
Ghali
Karen
K
Reidy
A Michelle
AM
Fink
Ricardo
R
Palma-Dias
D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002946:Cisterna Magna / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003616:Dandy-Walker Syndrome / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014463:Ultrasonography