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Updated: Aug 20, 2026

State of the Art Cranial Ultrasound Imaging in Neonates
Published on: February 2, 2015
Sonographic markers of exencephaly below 10 weeks' gestation
R A Machado1, M L Brizot, M H B Carvalho
1Fetal Medicine Unit, Department of Obstetrics, Hospital das Clínicas, São Paulo University Medical School, Brazil.
Abstract:
We report two cases of exencephaly diagnosed by transvaginal ultrasonography at 8 weeks 4 days and at 9 weeks 3 days of gestation. Both cases presented an irregular cephalic pole, and, in the case seen at 8 weeks 4 days, brain vesicles were also absent, whereas in the case seen at 9 weeks 3 days, the midline echo was indistinguishable with disorganized choroid plexuses. In both cases, anencephaly was evident at 11 and 12 weeks' gestation and the postmortem confirmed the diagnosis.

