Objective
Prenatal screening for aneuploidies is best achieved in the first trimester when there
is no reliable screening test for spina bifida. Early ultrasound features may be too
complex for routine screening. We assessed screening potential of simple and reproducible
fetal biometric measurements at 11-14 weeks of gestation.
Study Design
A total of 34,951 unselected consecutive pregnancies included 18 with spina bifida.
Another 28 cases were referred for assessment. Biometric measurements were expressed
in multiples of the median for crown-rump length.
Results
Biparietal diameter (BPD) was smaller in spina bifida (P < .0001). In all, 22 of 44 (50%) cases with spina bifida aperta had a BPD <5th centile.
BPD was independent of maternal adiposity and smoking status.
Conclusion
Simple and reproducible BPD at 11-14 weeks of gestation could detect half the cases
of open fetal spina bifida by identifying 5% of pregnancies for expert scanning in
first- and second-trimester examinations of the fetal spine and cranium.
Key words
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: May 21, 2012
Accepted:
May 14,
2012
Received in revised form:
May 2,
2012
Received:
January 17,
2012
Footnotes
The authors report no conflict of interest.
Cite this article as: Bernard J-P, Cuckle HS, Stirnemann JJ, et al. Screening for fetal spina bifida by ultrasound examination in the first trimester of pregnancy using fetal biparietal diameter. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2012;207:306.e1-5.
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 Mosby, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
