A high percentage (89%) of fetuses with acrania had echogenic amniotic fluid, suggesting that this finding could potentially be used as a marker of fetal acrania in the first trimester. This finding also supports the hypothesis of the transition from acrania to anencephaly, with the unprotected brain undergoing progressive destruction from the first trimester, leading to the classic finding of anencephaly in the second trimester.
Megacystis is a warning sign of a patent urachus in the first trimester. The prognosis of this condition is generally good; however, fetal death can occur secondary to compression of umbilical vessels due to the expanding allantoic cyst.
Congenital splenic cyst appears to be a benign condition with no known risk of perinatal complications. Nevertheless, differential diagnosis with other fetal cystic masses of the left upper abdominal quadrant and postnatal sonographic follow up to monitor the size of the cyst are important issues to be considered in the perinatal management of these cases.
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