Fetal genitourinary tract anomalies: evaluation, operative correction, and follow-up

Article Abstract:

Anomalies (abnormalities) in the genitourinary tract of the fetus can be detected with ultrasound prior to birth, raising difficult questions regarding medical management. To help answer them, more information regarding the development and survival of fetuses with such anomalies is needed. To this end, researchers studied pregnancies involving 53 fetuses diagnosed prior to birth (over a period of several years) as having genitourinary anomalies. An overview of the anomalies is presented in tabular form: twenty three were unilateral (on one side) and the remainder, bilateral. Nine pregnancies were terminated voluntarily, and nine other fetuses died within the first few weeks after birth. Thirty-five fetuses survived, with 22 undergoing surgery after birth, most within one month. Results were excellent for 20 of these infants. An extensive discussion is provided of prognostic factors associated with genitourinary anomalies. Overall, patients with genitourinary tract anomalies have a good prognosis, with 66 percent survival in this group. Severe oligohydramnios (small amount of amniotic fluid, the fluid in which the fetus floats), the presence of abnormalities in organs other than the kidney (such as the lung), and chromosomal abnormalities, are associated with a much poorer prognosis. Such pregnancies need to be managed by an interdisciplinary team. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Care and treatment, Genitourinary organs, Urogenital abnormalities

---

Recommendations for obstetric sonography in the evaluation of the fetal cranium

Article Abstract:

Medical and legal trends state that detection of fetal abnormalities is important in all cases, not just those that are considered high-risk. It is important to take family medical histories into account. Routine ultrasound exams during pregnancy may yield the first signs of problems and the most common and most severe abnormalities may be detected in the central nervous system (CNS) of infants. In addition, the failure to detect CNS abnormalities has often resulted in malpractice awards. Guidelines for screening the fetal anatomy have been established for evaluating the fetal heart and cranium,CNS, and other organ systems. The successful diagnosis of spina bifida, especially during the second trimester of pregnancy, has demonstrated the effectiveness of fetal monitoring techniques. Although no diagnostic imaging technique is perfect, the application of these diagnostic tools has increased the ability of doctors to ascertain the presence and extent of fetal abnormalities.

Analysis, Central nervous system, Spina bifida, editorial, Diagnosis, Ultrasonic, Diagnostic ultrasonography

---

Lethal fetal anomalies: sonographic demonstration

Article Abstract:

Disruptions of fetal development that are lethal can be detected by the use of sonography. Sonography is the technique of reflecting ultrasound waves off internal structures, such as fetuses. The determination of lethal fetal deformities or anomalies can radically alter the obstetrical care given to a mother; for example, unnecessary retention of a hopelessly deformed fetus which may imperil the mother may be avoided. Major classes of lethal disruptions of fetal growth are reviewed, as well as their sonographic appearance, including skeletal deformities, severe deformities of the body wall (body-stalk syndrome), central nervous system anomalies (including anencephalus), blockages of the lymphatic system (hygroma), pentalogy of Cantrell (severe deformities of chest wall, heart and diaphragm) and kidney and chromosomal abnormalities.

Methods, Prenatal ultrasonography, Ultrasonics in obstetrics

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: A Quarter Century at Health Maintenance. National plan for pandemic flu unveiled
• Abstracts: Does this child have acute otitis media? Do opiates affect the clinical evaluation of patients with acute abdominal pain?
• Abstracts: A 24-year-old man with asthma and bouts of epigastric pain, nausea, and vomiting. A newborn girl with seizures and persistent hypoglycemia
• Abstracts: Antinuclear antibodies in sera of patients with recurrent pregnancy wastage. Vaginal creation for mullerian agenesis
• Abstracts: Prevalence of antibody to HIV-1 among entrants to US correctional facilities. Suicide mortality in the Maryland State Prison System, 1979 through 1987

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.