title: Role of intraluminal bowel echogenicity on prenatal ultrasounds to determine the anatomical level of intestinal atresia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the correlation between different degrees of bowel intraluminal echogenicity showed by prenatal ultrasounds and the anatomic level of intestinal atresia.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report three cases of intestinal atresia at different intestinal levels verified during the neonatal surgery with specific ultrasonographic prenatal features. Intensity of sonolucency was analyzed using the image-processing program ImageJ for quantitative measurements based on the gray-scale intensity values.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of three cases are reported, a jejunal, an ileal and a colonic atresia. All cases showed intestinal dilatation. Both, jejunal and ileal atresia, showed two degrees of hypoechoic intestinal content, while colonic atresia showed hyperechogenic content dilated loop at prenatal ultrasound scan.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We propose the use of prenatal ultrasounds echogenicity of intestinal dilated loop fluid content to help in determining the level of obstruction in bowel atresia. These are initial results, to be confirmed by a multicentric research with more cases.
authors.affiliation: a Pediatric Surgery Department , and.
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Goruppi
authors.affiliation: b Fetal Medicine Unit, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron , Barcelona , Spain , and.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arévalo
authors.affiliation: a Pediatric Surgery Department , and.
authors.forename: Romy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gander
authors.affiliation: a Pediatric Surgery Department , and.
authors.forename: José-Andres
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Molino
authors.affiliation: c Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery Division, Cincinnati Fetal Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) , Cincinnati , OH , USA.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oria
authors.affiliation: b Fetal Medicine Unit, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron , Barcelona , Spain , and.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Carreras
authors.affiliation: a Pediatric Surgery Department , and.|c Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery Division, Cincinnati Fetal Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) , Cincinnati , OH , USA.
authors.forename: José-Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Peiro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003106:Colon / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007409:Intestinal Atresia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Colonic atresia; echogenicity; fetal bowel obstruction; intestinal atresia; prenatal diagnosis