Diagnosis of brain neuropathology in utero

The fetal brain can be evaluated very effectively with high-resolution real-time ultrasound equipment. This paper reviews normal fetal brain anatomy with specific emphasis on artifacts of ultrasound scanning of the brain. A review of the developmental abnormalities seen in utero include ventriculomegaly, anencephaly, encephalocele, meningomyelocele, Dandy-Walker syndrome, holoprosencephaly, craniosynostosis, microcephaly, and agenesis of the corpus callosum. The destructive lesions reviewed include hydranencephaly, infection, intracranial hemorrhage, and mass lesion. Identification of these abnormalities can be extremely helpful in providing the patients with management options and providing the obstetrician with information which can help in obstetric and neonatal therapy.