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  • Title: Prospective study of intracranial translucency and the posterior brain in normal fetuses at the 11- to 13-week scan.
    Author: Fong KW, Dengler J, Toi A, Menezes RJ, Karimzad Y, Okun N.
    Journal: J Ultrasound Med; 2014 Aug; 33(8):1373-9. PubMed ID: 25063402.
    Abstract:
    OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the ability of sonographers to prospectively identify intracranial translucency and posterior brain structures at 11 to 13 weeks and to evaluate measurement reproducibility of brain stem and brain stem-occipital bone diameters on stored images. METHODS: After specific training for intracranial translucency visualization, 10 nonphysician sonographers prospectively identified intracranial translucency at the 11- to 13-week scan, noting whether intracranial translucency was present, absent, or uncertain. If absent/uncertain, they documented the reason as spina bifida or an inadequate image (with reasons for the inadequate image). Measurements of brain stem and brain stem-occipital bone diameters were performed on stored images. Fifty randomly selected cases were reviewed for intraobserver and interobserver variability. RESULTS: In 313 singleton pregnancies, the posterior brain including intracranial translucency was evaluated; 293 (93.6%) had known pregnancy outcomes. None had open spina bifida, but 7 had chromosomal or congenital abnormalities. In the remaining 286 normal fetuses, intracranial translucency was seen in 275 (96%) and uncertain in 11 (4%), due to inadequate images (top 3 reasons were fetal position [n = 8], obesity [n = 5], and retroverted uterus [n = 4]). Fetal position and gestational age were significantly associated with intracranial translucency visualization (P < .05). Intraobserver and interobserver agreement rates were moderate for measurements of brain stem diameter (intraclass correlation coefficients, 0.59 and 0.57) and substantial for brain stem-occipital bone diameter (intraclass correlation coefficients, 0.76 and 0.61). Bland-Altman analysis revealed negligible intraobserver and interobserver differences in brain stem and brain stem-occipital bone diameter measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Intracranial translucency can be prospectively identified by trained sonographers in 96% of normal fetuses at 11 to 13 weeks. Measurements of brain stem and brain stem-occipital bone diameters are reproducible.
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