Absence of the choroid plexus of the fourth venticle in the first trimester

• Autores: P. Martínez Ten, T. Illescas, Begoña Adiego Burgos, M. Estévez, Carmina Bermejo, Waldo Sepúlveda
• Localización: Progresos de obstetricia y ginecología: revista oficial de la Sociedad Española de Ginecología y Obstetricia, ISSN 0304-5013, Vol. 61, Nº. 5, 2018, págs. 430-437
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Objectives There is an increasing interest in the sonographic detection of posterior fossa (PF) anomalies in the first trimester (1T) of pregnancy. However, there is poor agreement in the diagnostic criteria among different investigators. Our objective is to describe a qualitative reproducible sonographic feature that can be useful to predict pathology in the PF during the 1T of pregnancy.

    Methods Two experienced operators, blinded to the final clinical outcome, retrospectively analysed stored 3D volume data sets from 68 1T fetuses (11 + 0‐13 + 6w), including 14 with abnormal PF that were randomly added to the sample. The choroid plexus (CP) of the IV ventricle was assessed in midsagittal and axial planes by multiplanar navigation. It was classified as present or absent if the echogenic line between the brain stem and the cisterna magna was visible or not in both planes.

    Results 3D volume data sets were acquired transabdominally in 58 (85%) cases and transvaginally in the other 10 (15%). The CP of the IV ventricle was classified as present in 53 cases and as absent in 15 cases, with total agreement between the two observers in both axial and sagittal planes except for one case. The CP was absent in: 10 fetuses with aneuploidy (triploidy: 5; trisomy 13: 2; trisomy 18: 2; Turner syndrome: 1); 4 fetuses with CNS anomalies (open neural tube defects: 2; encephalocele: 1; Dandy‐Walker malformation: 1); and 1 normal fetus (false positive).

    Conclusions Qualitative assessment of the CP of the IV ventricle seems to be highly reproducible. This simple sonographic feature can facilitate the detection of PF anomalies, which are frequently associated with aneuploidies.