ROLE OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL ULTRASOUND IN PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS OF FETAL CONGENITAL ANOMALIES

Abstract

Technologic advances in fetal assessment and diagnosis during the past 50 years have permitted significant treatment of the fetus beyond simply converting the fetus to a newborn. Frequently limited 2-D ultrasound has been the primary development in which a non-invasive, direct visualization of the fetus in utero possible. It is anticipated that 3-D ultrasound will afford a more accurate delineation of the normal from the abnormal fetus. Its multiplanar display provides images which may be unobtainable with 2-D ultrasound, and surface rendering capabilities lead to a clearer more comprehensive understanding of abnormalities. Currently, no randomized controlled trials of 3-D versus 2-D ultrasound have been published. Further, many of the reported trials demonstrate a biased study sample, with their subjects defmed as patients suspected of having fetal congenital abnormality previously identified with 2-D ultrasound. However, while these studies may not provide strong evidence of the superiority of 3-D ultrasonography, the small but substantive gains in diagnostic accuracy generated by these investigators are encouraging (Platt, 2000).