Clinical value of interrupted inferior vena cava in prenatal diagnosis of isomerism / 中华围产医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To analyze the ultrasonic features of interrupted inferior vena cava (IVC) and its relationship with related deformities so as to improve the prenatal diagnosis of isomerism.Methods Pregnant women who received prenatal care in Peking University People's Hospital or who were referred to our hospital for suspected malformation of fetus between January 2010 and December 2013 were enrolled in this study.Fetal echocardiography and abdominal transverse section were performed routinely.Spatio-temporal image correlation technology was used to further clarify interrupted IVC if azygos vein was broadened or IVC disappeared in the fetal abdominal transverse sections.Based on the presence of cardiac structural abnormalities,interrupted IVC was divided into isolated IVC interruption and complex IVC interruption.Neonatal echocardiography was performed in women with continued pregnancies.In women with terminated pregnancy,fetus was autopsied after induced labor.Results In total,12 cases of interrupted IVC were diagnosed,including 5 cases of isolated IVC interruption with full-term delivery and 7 cases of complex IVC interruption.Neonatal echocardiography,abdominal ultrasound were all normal in the 5 cases of isolated IVC interruption except for 3 cases complicated with sistus inversus viscerum.All the 7 cases of complex IVC interruption had induced labor because of some congenital cardiac abnormalities.Autopsy showed that 6 cases had left isomerism,and 1 case had right isomerism.Conclusions Interrupted IVC can be easily identified in prenatal diagnosis due to the typical ultrasonic features.Complication with some congenital cardiac abnormalities often indicates isomerism,especially left isomerism.