Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 20, Issue 4 379-389, Copyright © 2001 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Abdominal wall defects: two- versus three-dimensional ultrasonographic diagnosis
F. Bonilla-Musoles, L. E. Machado, L. A. Bailao, N. G. Osborne and F. Raga
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Valencia School of Medicine, Spain.
We diagnosed 12 cases of abdominal wall defects. The cases diagnosed
occurred in 6 fetuses with omphalocele, 3 with gastroschisis, 2 with
prune-belly syndrome, and 1 with pentalogy of Cantrell. Except for 1 case
of gastroschisis first diagnosed on the basis of three-dimensional
ultrasonography at 14 weeks' gestation, all cases were first detected by
two-dimensional transabdominal ultrasonography and then reevaluated with
three-dimensional ultrasonography using multiplanar and orthogonal plane
modes. Although the original diagnosis was accurate on the basis of
two-dimensional ultrasonography in 11 of 12 cases, additional information
was obtained by three-dimensional scanning in all cases. Our experience
suggests that in cases in which abdominal wall defects are first detected
by two-dimensional ultrasonographic scanning, the additional information
gained by complementary three-dimensional ultrasonographic scanning can be
useful for more-efficient counseling and postnatal therapeutic planning.
