A Case of Spina Bifida Diagnosed by Prenatal Ultrasonography / 대한산부인과학회잡지

ABSTRACT

In prenatal diagnosis of neural tube defects, maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP) level in second trimester is used as a screening test. However, it shows low sensitivity with high false positive rate. Also, alpha-fetoprotein and acetylcholinesterase in amniotic fluid through amniocentesis is used, but it is an invasive technique with low sensitivity. Recently, due to improved prenatal sonography, typical sonographic findings of spina bifina are reported and contributed to early diagnosis and detection of possible co-existing abnormalities. We report a case of spina bifida detected at 21 weeks of pregnancy by prenatal sonograph at our institution with a brief review of literature.