Longitudinal evaluation of foetal transverse lie using ultrasonography

The purpose of this study was to assess the risk of persistence of transverse lie detected earlier in pregnancy and associated predisposing factors using follow-up ultrasound (US). A longitudinal study was carried out from January 2004 to august 2004 at Federal Medical centre, Lokoja, Nigeria. All singleton pregnancies, with ultrasound diagnosis of transverse lie, between 24-28 weeks were followed to term. At 24-28 weeks, 183 fetuses presented with transverse lie. Thirty seven were lost to follow-up; out of the remaining 146 babies, 22 persisted to term. Overall persistence rate was 15.1%. No identifiable predisposing factors were seen in 91.1%, placenta previa in 5.5%, lower segment fibroids in 2.7%, and ectopic kidney in 0.7%. In conclusion, transverse lie detected early in pregnancy is transient, and majority would convert to a longitudinal lie at term. Potential predisposing factors highlighted above increases the risk of persistent transverse lie at term, with placenta previa and lower segment fibroids being the major predisposing factors.