Prenatal assessment of the normal fetal soft palate by three-dimensional ultrasound examination: is there an objective technique?

Prenatal Ultrasound Imaging of Orofacial Clefts: A Pictorial Essay

Orofacial clefts (OFCs), including cleft lip (CL), cleft palate (CP), and CL with palate (CL/P), are relatively common congenital birth defects occurring in approximately 1 in 500 to 1 in 2500 live births. Detecting OFCs during prenatal ultrasound screening is crucial for informed decision-making and multidisciplinary medical care. This review provides a practical guide for routine and advanced screening for OFCs during mid-pregnancy. The Maarse classification system facilitates effective communication among the multidisciplinary team, categorizing OFCs into five types. Basic ultrasound views encompass coronal, sagittal, and axial imaging of the face and hard palate. Additional visualization techniques are employed in case of suspected anomalies during the initial screening. Advanced ultrasound views provided by the expert in prenatal OFC diagnosis include imaging of the posterior edge of the hard palate and the posterior part of the soft palate. Detected OFCs exhibit a range of severity and affect different structures, underscoring the importance of accurate detection and classification for appropriate treatment planning. Implementing a standardized screening protocol for OFCs is essential. By enhancing detection rates and enabling early diagnosis, prenatal ultrasound screening contributes to improved patient outcomes and facilitates timely intervention by the multidisciplinary team. In conclusion, this review emphasizes the significance of standardized protocols and specialized techniques for prenatal ultrasound screening of OFCs. Early detection and classification of these malformations play a vital role in comprehensive management, ensuring that affected individuals and their families receive the appropriate care and support they need.

A Deliberate Practice-Based Ultrasound Training Program for Fetal Palate Screening Using a Sequential Sector Scan Through the Oral Fissure

OBJECTIVES

To introduce an ultrasound training program for fetal palate screening by using a sequential sector scan through the oral fissure to train less experienced doctors and to investigate its effectiveness.

METHODS

Twenty doctors and several women at approximately 20-28 weeks of gestation with singleton pregnancies who provided informed consent were enrolled. The training program consisted of theory and practice training, several tests, and two surveys. Trainees were tested before training and immediately after training; for the latter, each item with a score that was less than 60% of the full score was again used for training with a reconstructed plan. Finally, a post-training test was completed.

RESULTS

The median theory scores, median practice scores, median language competence scores, and median self-assessment scores all increased significantly from the pre-training to post-training tests (P < .01). The median completion time for fetal palate scans decreased significantly from the pre-training to post-training tests (P < .01). The median questionnaire scores were 5.00 for pragmatism, 4.00 for content, 4.00 for scientific nature, and 5.00 for effectiveness.

CONCLUSIONS

The training program for fetal palate screening can effectively standardize and improve doctors' scans for fetal palates. In addition, the program feasibly allows for the incorporation of the scan sequence into fetal palate screening.

[Ultrasound scan of a fetus with facial cleft must be done from the lip to the uvula: What's new?]

Facial cleft are the most frequent craniofacial anomalies with an incidence of one for 1000 births, all births combined, and require specialized multidisciplinary care. Since 2005, the systematic realization of two ultrasound views (nose-lip and profile) is recommended for the exploration of the fetal face in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy. Application of these recommendations should allow screening of the majority of cleft lip and palate. However, cleft palates, without labiomaxillary involvement, are currently largely underdiagnosed at prenatal ultrasound, although they can be associated with a syndromic diagnosis in up to 30% of cases. The aim of this work is to describe, from embryology to surgical consultation, the complete ultrasound examination of a fetus with a classic facial cleft.

Prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of cleft palate without cleft lip, the new ultrasound semiology

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to define the prenatal ultrasound semiology of cleft palate without cleft lip using 3D visualization of the fetal palate.

METHODS

A prospective longitudinal study was performed in our University Hospital Center from 2011 to 2018. The fetal secondary palate was studied in 3D, starting with 2D axial transverse ultrasound view. We defined a cleft palate as a disruption of the horizontal plate of the palatine bone of the secondary palate. Prenatal findings were correlated to anatomic postnatal examinations performed by a paediatric plastic surgeon.

RESULTS

Forty-three cases of cleft palate without cleft lip were prenatally diagnosed, of whom 34 were associated with malformations. We defined four types of disruptive appearances: isolated nonvisualization of the posterior nasal spine; partial-disruption or cleft velum; complete disappearance or V-shaped cleft palate; and complete disappearance or U-shaped cleft palate. The adjusted kappa coefficient, between prenatal and postnatal evaluation, was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.79-0.97), corresponding to an excellent agreement.

CONCLUSIONS

Using a strictly axial transverse ultrasound view, visualization of the secondary fetal palate enables to diagnose a cleft palate without cleft lip. This method offers a prenatal anatomic classification of cleft palate with a high level of concordance to postnatal findings.

[Facial coloboma: report of an exceptional prenatal case and interest of three-dimensional ultrasonography]

We report a rare case of Tessier no. 4 craniofacial cleft diagnosed by ultrasound imaging at 10 weeks' gestation. Tessier no. 4 craniofacial cleft is a very rare and complex congenital abnormality, characterized by an oblique orbitomaxillary facial cleft. Prenatal diagnosis of orofacial clefting is usually done at midtrimester of pregnancy, based on careful sonographic examination of the fetal face. However conventional 2D ultrasound is limited in screening isolated cleft palate and defects of the secondary palate. Thus, 3D ultrasound shows a greater sensitivity in a referred population and antenatal evaluation of facial clefs.

OmniView algorithm: a novel 3-dimensional sonographic technique in the study of the fetal hard and soft palates

The purpose of this pictorial essay is to report on the application of OmniView (GE Healthcare, Zipf, Austria), new 3-dimensional sonographic software, and its application in the prenatal sonographic study of the fetal hard and soft palates. We will show that this novel technique is easy and feasible, requires a limited learning curve, and provides correct volume interrogation of the region of interest. The OmniView algorithm may be useful in training programs, and volume data sets can be interpreted by experts in remote sites. Future prospective studies with consecutive patients will be necessary to evaluate whether the routine application of OmniView will increase the prenatal diagnosis of facial clefting, especially those with isolated palate defects.

Accuracy of prenatal three-dimensional ultrasound in the diagnosis of cleft hard palate when cleft lip is present

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the accuracy of prenatal axial three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound in predicting the absence or presence of cleft palate in the presence of cleft lip.

METHODS

Between March 2005 and January 2009, there were 81 cases with a prenatal two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound screening diagnosis of unilateral or bilateral cleft lip at 22-25 weeks of gestation referred to our tertiary care center. Of these, 79 fetuses were included in this prospective study and two were excluded. Axial 3D ultrasound imaging of the fetal palate was performed and the diagnoses were compared with clinical findings at delivery. The frequencies of intact and cleft palate, the degree of association between the prenatal predictions and postnatal findings and the probability of detection of cleft lip and palate were determined.

RESULTS

Of 79 prenatal predictions, 77 (97%) were correct and the association between the prenatal predictions and postnatal findings was strong. The sensitivity for detection of cleft lip and palate within this high-risk population was 100% and the specificity was 90%. In one of the excluded cases, the palate could not be visualized due to a fetal prone position. There were chromosomal anomalies in 4% of cases and associated structural or growth anomalies in 23%, termination of pregnancy was carried out in 4% and intrauterine fetal demise occurred in 3%.

CONCLUSION

Axial 3D ultrasound of the fetal palate has high accuracy in identifying prenatal cleft palate when cleft lip is diagnosed at mid-trimester 2D ultrasound screening.

Prenatal Assessment of the Antero-Posterior Jaw Relationship in Human Fetuses: From Anatomical to Ultrasound Cephalometric Analysis

Objectives

We wished to develop an ultrasound cephalometric analysis, particularly of the antero-posterior jaw relationship, to increase the accuracy of prenatal diagnosis of retrognathism during the routine midterm test.

Methods

Anatomical cephalometric analysis was performed in 18 formalin-fixed human fetuses (between 16 and 39 gestational weeks), and ultrasound cephalometry was prospectively carried out in 52 pregnant women (21 to 25 gestational weeks). The same landmarks were used in the anatomical and ultrasound median sagittal planes for comparison. Four cephalometric angles were measured relative to the anterior cranial base: alveolar projection of the maxilla and the mandible, chin projection, and facial angle. The antero-posterior jaw discrepancy was calculated.

Results

The projection of the maxilla was similar in the two cephalometric analyses (IC [–3.39, 0.23]), whereas the values of the projection of the mandible were lower in the ultrasound sample. The slope of the regression line of the antero-posterior jaw discrepancy on fetuses' age did not show significant differences (IC [–0.05, 1.54]) between anatomical and ultrasound cephalometry, although a difference of 3.23° ± 0.78° (IC [1.69, 4.77]) was observed. Despite this variability, the projections of mandible and chin were well determined by the projection of the maxilla both in the anatomical and ultrasound sample.

Conclusions

Cephalometric analysis by prenatal sonography can be performed to study the antero-posterior jaw relationship. We think that this procedure could be useful to improve prenatal diagnosis of retrognathism in high-risk pregnancies. Further studies should address the reproducibility and accuracy of such analysis.

Enlarged nuchal translucency in chromosomally normal fetuses: strong association with orofacial clefts

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is an association between enlarged nuchal translucency (NT) and orofacial clefts.

METHODS

The pregnancy outcome of women who underwent an NT measurement between January 2000 and November 2008 was reviewed. All orofacial clefts detected prenatally and postnatally in karyotypically normal fetuses/infants were reviewed and a distinction was made between isolated defects and clefts as part of multiple congenital anomalies (associated).

RESULTS

The cohort included 8638 fetuses. The NT was enlarged in 746 (8.6%). The karyotype was normal in 8347 fetuses, including 513 of the fetuses with an enlarged NT. Isolated or associated cleft lip, with or without cleft palate (CL/P), or cleft palate (CP) were diagnosed in 18 chromosomally normal fetuses (an incidence of 2.2 per 1000). In eight of these cases the NT was normal (8/7834; an incidence of 1.0 per 1000) and in the remaining 10 it was enlarged (10/513; an incidence of 19.5 per 1000). CL/P and CP were isolated or associated in three and seven of the chromosomally normal fetuses with an enlarged NT, respectively. Euploid fetuses with an enlarged NT had a relative risk for any clefts of 19 and a relative risk for isolated or associated clefts of 8 and 53, respectively (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Chromosomally normal fetuses with an enlarged NT have an increased risk of orofacial clefts. CL/P and CP are, in these fetuses, mostly associated findings, frequently part of a genetic syndrome. A detailed ultrasound examination with special attention given to the orofacial area is indicated in these fetuses.