MRI and ultrasound scan in prenatal diagnosis of congenital esophageal atresia / 中华围产医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the prenatal imaging features of fetal congenital esophageal atresia and to further evaluate the value of MRI and ultrasound scan in the same condition.Methods This study recruited 12 singleton gravidas whose fetuses were initially suspected with congenital esophageal atresia by prenatal ultrasound scan and then confirmed by surgery and/or upper gastrointestinal angiography after birth at Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center from May 2011 to May 2017.Imaging features of prenatal MRI and ultrasonography of the 12 fetuses were retrospectively analyzed.Differences in imaging findings of these two methods were analyzed by Chi-square test.Results All 12 women received prenatal ultrasound examination and eight of them underwent MRI scan when fetal congenital esophageal atresia was suggested by ultrasound.Both ultrasound and MRI were capable of identifing polyhydramnios and absent or small stomach bubble (12/12 and 8/8,respectively).However,MRI was superior to ultrasound in detecting "pouch sign "/"oral filling sign" or poor filling of small intestine (7/8 vs 3/12 and 8/8 vs 0/12,x2 were 7.500 and 20.000,both P＜0.01).While,no statistical difference was shown in detecting curved tracheal between MRI and ultrasound (2/8 vs 0/12,x2=3.333,P=0.067).For Gross Ⅰ or Gross Ⅲ congenital esophageal atresia fetuses,no statistically significant difference was found in their imaging features (all P＞0.05).The total detection rates after 32 weeks of gestation of Gross Ⅰ and Gross Ⅲ cases were both 3/6.Conclusions Prenatal MRI is a vital supplement to ultrasound due to its high display rate of characterized features of congenital esophageal atresia.Thus,the combined use of ultrasound and MRI is of great importance for prenatal diagnosis of this fetal abnormality.