Dong J, Yu J, Liu K et. al.

AAA in fetuses is extremely rare. The mortality rate for congenital AAA is reported to be 30.76%, primarily due to rupture or renal failure (Y. Wang et al. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2015; 10:4). Unlike AAA, which involves all 3 layers of the vessel wall, a PSA only partially involves the arterial wall but carries a higher risk of rupture (M. Kreibich et al. Circulation 2015; 3:310). PSAs typically form a localized pocket of flow – either beneath the adventitia or within the surrounding tissues (P.V. Tisi et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2013; 11: DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004981.pub4). Progressive growth may lead to bilateral renal infarction and ultimately renal failure. The incidence and mortality rate of congenital PSA in the abdominal aorta remain unknown, as no such cases have been previously reported in the fetus.

Relationship between prenatal ultrasound signs and genetic abnormalities for fetal malformations of cortical development

Chen JY, Zhu R, Pan H et. al.

To explore the relationship between ultrasound signs of suspected fetal malformation of cortical development (MCD) and genetic MCD. The retrospective study involved fetuses with one of the following 10 neurosonography (NSG) signs: (A) abnormal development of the Sylvian fissure; (B) delayed achievement of cortical milestones; (C) premature or aberrant appearance of sulcation; (D) irregular border of the ventricular wall or irregular shape of the ventricle; (E) abnormal shape or orientation of the sulci; (F) hemispheric asymmetry; (G) non-continuous cerebral cortex; (H) intraparenchymal echogenic nodules; (I) persistent ganglionic eminence (GE) or GE cavitation; (J) abnormal cortical lamination.

M-sign in middle cerebral artery Doppler in twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome – A retrospective cohort study

Rüegg L, Zepf J, Gonser M et. al.

In twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), unbalanced vascular anastomoses lead to a net transfer of fluid from the donor to the recipient. This triggers compensatory mechanisms resulting in fetal vasoconstriction. Hemodynamic modelling has shown that the appearance of a second systolic peak P2, in addition to the main systolic peak P1, in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) Doppler waveform, thus creating a systolic M-sign, may indicate increased fetal vasoconstriction. Hence, the M-sign could be expected in twins with TTTS. The Quintero staging system has been used to stage TTTS.However, TTTS does not always develop in line with the Quintero stages and/or the criteria are not always fulfilled. This study investigates whether the M-sign could be an additional TTTS criterion indicating significant imbalance between the fetuses. 38 women who underwent fetoscopic laser coagulation (FLC) for TTTS were included. The MCA Doppler waveforms were retrospectively analyzed for the presence of an M-sign.