Efficacy of Prenatal Ultrasound in Craniospinal Malformations According to Fetopathological and Postnatal Neonatological, Pathological Results

OBJECTIVE: Our objective is to examine the effectiveness of prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of craniospinal malformations compared to postnatal neonatological and pathological findings. METHODS: Over a 7-year period, we preformed approximately 82.500 prenatal ultrasounds of 26.827 pregnancies. We detected 290 fetuses with 351 craniospinal malformations. RESULTS: Craniospinal abnormalities were found as a part of multiplex malformations in 84/290 cases: in 47/84 cases (55.95%) there was complete concurrence between prenatal and postnatal results. In 15/290 fetuses the craniospinal malformation was associated with chromosomal abnormalities. In 9/15 (60%) of these fetuses, malformations were fully diagnosed with ultrasound. Isolated craniospinal malformations occurred in 191/290 cases, in 162/191 (84.82%) the results of prenatal ultrasonography and postnatal or post abortion examinations showed complete concurrence. In addition to the 290 fetuses with craniospinal malformations, there were an additional 17 who were thought by ultrasound to have a craniospinal malformation, which could not be documented after birth (false positives). CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal ultrasound accurately diagnosed 218/290 (75,17%) craniospinal abnormalities, and partially defined the abnormalities in 9.66%, failed to detect abnormalities in 15.17%, with an approximate 0.06% false detection rate.