Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 13, Issue 11 871-876, Copyright © 1994 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Prenatal visualization of cranial sutures and fontanelles with three-dimensional ultrasonography
D. H. Pretorius and T. R. Nelson
Sharp Perinatal Center, University of California, San Diego 92093-0610.
The anatomy of the cranial sutures and fontanelles in the developing fetus
is difficult to evaluate using conventional two-dimensional ultrasonography
(2DUS). Three-dimensional sonographic imaging (3DUS) was performed on eight
normal volunteer pregnant patients after informed consent with conventional
2DUS equipment that had been adapted to obtain 3DUS images. 3DUS images of
the cranium were evaluated for the presence of specific cranial sutures and
fontanelles. Cranial sutures and fontanelles were identified with 3DUS in
all fetuses scanned. The sutures most commonly identified included coronal,
lambdoidal, and squamosal. The fontanelles most often identified included
anterior, posterior, mastoid, and sphenoid. 3DUS offers the capability of
identifying cranial sutures and fontanelles more clearly because volume
rendered images show the cranial surface in its entirely rather than as a
cross-sectional slice, offering the potential to identify pathologic
cranial lesions currently not seen with 2DUS.
