Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 14, Issue 8 575-580, Copyright © 1995 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Pilot screening for fetal malformations: possibilities and limits of transvaginal sonography
G. D'Ottavio, Y. J. Meir, M. A. Rustico, G. Conoscenti, A. Maieron, L. Fischer-Tamaro and G. Mandruzzato
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, IRCCS-Istituto per l'Infanzia of Trieste, Italy.
Two thousand and ninety-seven unselected pregnant women bearing 2114
fetuses were examined by transvaginal sonography at 14 weeks of gestational
age and rescreened via transabdominal sonography at 21 weeks (excluding
those who chose termination of pregnancy). Twenty-five of 47 anomalies were
correctly identified at the first scan, 15 malformations were missed and
detected only during the scan, two were identified later in pregnancy, and
five were identified after birth. Ten of 12 abnormalities were detected
correctly on the basis of ultrasonographic findings. Transvaginal
sonographic screening for fetal malformation, in our experience, permits
the detection of more than 50% of all fetal structural defects and 75% of
all aneuploidies early in pregnancy.
