Ultrasound diagnosis and screening of fetal cystic fibrosis

By ultrasound examination of high risk pregnancies for cystic fibrosis in some cases echogenic areas and dilated bowels could be demonstrated. These signs could be detected in 75% of those cases where biochemical assay of the amniotic fluid proved the fetus to be affected with cystic fibrosis. Having got these results authors started to look for these signs during the screening of normal pregnancies. Out of 22 thousand screened pregnancies 28 amniocenteses have been performed because of the ultrasound finding and in 18 cases the low microvillar enzyme activity also predicted cystic fibrosis.