Prenatal ultrasonography of craniofacial abnormalities Annisa Shui Lam Mak, Kwok Yin Leung Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China REVIEW ARTICLE https://doi.org/10.14366/usg.18031 pISSN: 2288-5919 • eISSN: 2288-5943 Ultrasonography 2019;38:13-24 Craniofacial abnormalities are common. It is important to examine the fetal face and skull during prenatal ultrasound examinations because abnormalities of these structures may indicate the presence of other, more subtle anomalies, syndromes, chromosomal abnormalities, or even rarer conditions, such as infections or metabolic disorders. The prenatal diagnosis of craniofacial abnormalities remains difficult, especially in the first trimester. A systematic approach to the fetal Received: May 29, 2018 skull and face can increase the detection rate. When an abnormality is found, it is important Revised: June 30, 2018 to perform a detailed scan to determine its severity and search for additional abnormalities. Accepted: July 3, 2018 Correspondence to: The use of 3-/4-dimensional ultrasound may be useful in the assessment of cleft palate and Kwok Yin Leung, MBBS, MD, FRCOG, craniosynostosis. Fetal magnetic resonance imaging can facilitate the evaluation of the palate, Cert HKCOG (MFM), Department of micrognathia, cranial sutures, brain, and other fetal structures. Invasive prenatal diagnostic Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gascoigne Road, techniques are indicated to exclude chromosomal abnormalities. Molecular analysis for some Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China syndromes is feasible if the family history is suggestive. Tel. +852-3506 6398 Fax. +852-2384 5834 E-mail:
[email protected] Keywords: Craniofacial; Prenatal; Ultrasound; Three-dimensional ultrasonography; Fetal structural abnormalities This is an Open Access article distributed under the Introduction terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non- Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non- Craniofacial abnormalities are common.