Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 12, Issue 3 131-134, Copyright © 1993 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
The lemon sign: not a specific indicator of meningomyelocele
R. H. Ball, R. A. Filly, R. B. Goldstein and P. W. Callen
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco.
The association of the "lemon sign" with myelomeningocele has been well
documented. This study was performed to determine if this sign is exclusive
to myelomeningocele. The study population included all abnormal fetuses in
our data base with this sonographically observed finding, from 1988 to 1991
(total of 23 cases). Twelve fetuses were found to have a myelomeningocele
and six an encephalocele. Five fetuses with the lemon sign demonstrated a
variety of structural anomalies not involving the neural tube. This
sonographic finding appears not to be limited to cases of myelomeningocele.