The sonographic evaluation of fetal anomalies in oligohydramnios between 16 and 30 weeks gestation

Complementary Role of MRI After Sonography in Assessing Bilateral Urinary Tract Anomalies in the Fetus

“…At our institution, all the cases of fetuses with positive sonographic findings are discussed at a weekly multidisciplinary meeting that involves obMarie Cassart 1 Anne Massez 1 Thierry Metens 1 Françoise Rypens 1 M. Alexandra Lambot 2 Michelle Hall 3 Fred E. Avni 1,4 stetricians, radiologists, pediatric surgeons, and neonatologists. In the context of this study, MRI was proposed whenever sonographic findings suggested bilateral urinary tract anomalies but failed to provide a definite diagnosis.…”

“…The spectrum of malformations is wide, and their prognosis is significantly poorer in fetuses with bilateral lesions and decreased volume of amniotic fluid. Antenatal diagnosis is primarily based on sonographic findings, yet the fetal anatomy may be difficult to analyze in some patients because of maternal obesity or the presence of oligohydramnios, which is commonly associated with urinary tract malformations [4,5].The recent development of fast sequences has extended the use of MRI to antenatal diagnosis. In this context, MRI has been validated as an efficient technique to evaluate equivocal fetal sonographic findings [6,7], especially for neurologic anomalies, but its contribution to the diagnosis of fetal uropathies, to our knowledge, has not been clearly shown.…”

“…The spectrum of malformations is wide, and their prognosis is significantly poorer in fetuses with bilateral lesions and decreased volume of amniotic fluid. Antenatal diagnosis is primarily based on sonographic findings, yet the fetal anatomy may be difficult to analyze in some patients because of maternal obesity or the presence of oligohydramnios, which is commonly associated with urinary tract malformations [4,5].…”

MRI of Fetal Genitourinary Anomalies

“…Sonography is an excellent means of evaluating the fetal genitourinary tract [1][2][3][4][5][6]. However, some factors, including the patient's body habitus and oligohydramnios, can often prevent optimal assessment of anomalies of the genitourinary system using sonography.…”

The role of magnetic resonance imaging in fetal renal anomalies

“…Ultrasound is an excellent modality for evaluating the fetal urinary tract [3], but may be limited because of fetal position, maternal obesity, overlying bone, and oligohydramnioswhich is commonly associated with fetal uropathies. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a complementary modality is becoming more popular in such settings [3][4][5][6] because it enables the fetus to be viewed in multiple planes, irrespective of fetal lie, and has excellent contrast resolution. However, there have been only a small number of studies on a limited number of patients with regard to the role of MRI in detecting and managing fetal uropathies [7][8][9][10][11].…”