Vasa previa: prenatal detection by three‐dimensional ultrasonography

OBJECTIVE: To describe three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonography (US) for the antepartum diagnosis of vasa previa. DESIGN: This was a descriptive study of two pregnant women who were suspected to have vasa previa by conventional gray-scale ultrasonography. Three-dimensional studies were also performed during the early third trimester to further investigate the possibility of this condition. RESULTS: In the first case, 3D US provided gray-scale multiplanar and surface-rendered views of an aberrant vessel over the internal cervical os. For the second case, a 'flight-path' technique allowed the examiner to follow axial views of the endocervical canal toward the internal os until an aberrant vessel was verified. The 'niche-mode' analysis, with and without color power Doppler ultrasonography, was also used to confirm the diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Three-dimensional ultrasonography offers several additional imaging tools that are not currently provided by more conventional ultrasonography for the detection of vasa previa. It represents an important adjunct to two-dimensional (2D) studies, especially when this diagnosis is questionable.