Prenatal neurosurgical diagnosis and counseling

Neonatal neurosurgical management occasionally begins with prenatal counseling. New imaging techniques have made the detection and diagnosis of structural anomalies of the fetal central nervous system commonplace. The neurosurgeon can be called on to interpret the meaning of diagnostic studies and must be ready to meet this emerging challenge. The most frequently encountered antenatal diagnoses are reviewed here, with a special emphasis on ultrasound and MR image findings.