Sonoembryology and early prenatal diagnosis of neural anomalies

In the following review, the early development of the central nervous system (CNS), as described by embryologists and anatomists in modern embryological textbooks, is compared with sonoanatomic descriptions from two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound studies, week by week in the first trimester. The anatomic descriptions are limited to details that are of interest for the understanding of ultrasound examinations. Further, the detection of main CNS anomalies including spina bifida during the first trimester are presented and discussed. Empty or enlarged brain cavities, or abnormal contours of the head and spine are important diagnostic markers for the detection of CNS anomalies in the very early pregnancy.