Fetal Head and Brain Flashcards
When do neural tube defects occur?
when the embryonic neural tube fails to close
When should the neural tube normally close?
by 6 weeks
What are neural tube defects related to?
increased levels of maternal serum alpha fetoprotein (MSAFP)
What is an accurate diagnosis of NTD?
Ultrasound
*What has been proven to reduce the risk of developing NTD?
*folic acid (4mg)
What achieving combination of screening is used for neural tube defects?
-sonography, amniocentesis, and/or maternal screening
What lab values are combined for *maternal serum screening (triple screen)?
- Human chorionic gonadotropin
- Estriol
- Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP)
Where is alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) initially produced?
-by the yolk sac, fetal gastrointestinal tract, and the fetal liver, respectively
What/where does AFP exit and what does this result in?
-exits the fetus through an opening in the neural tube if one is present (i.e. an opening in the cranium or spine), thus allowing for a greater amount to pass into the maternal circulation
What are elevated levels of AFP found in?
- neural tube defects
- omphalocele
- gastroschisis
- multiple gestations
- fetal demise
- incorrect gestational dating
What are the types of NTD?
- acrania: absence of cranial vault
- encephalocele
- hydrocephalus
- iniencephaly: short cervical spine
- schizencephaly: clefting of cerebral tissue
- spina bifida
- chiari malformation
*What is Acrania?
- anencephaly
- the most common neural tube defects
- defined as the absence of the cranial vault above the bony orbits
When is the cranium normally ossified?
-by 15 wks and should be easily visualized
What are the two main subtypes of acrania (differentiate)?
- Anencephaly: considered when there are no cerebral hemispheres present
- Exencephaly: denotes the presence of a normal amount of cerebral tissue
What are the sonographic findings of acrania/anencephaly?
1) absence of cranial vault
2) some cerebral tissue may be present
3) froglike facies or bulging eyes
4) can be identified as early as 12 wks
*Encephalocele?
- *meninges and brain tissue herniation through a bony defect in the calvarium
- *most common location is in the occipital region
- can also be distinguished by location
- may have frontal and parietal positions
- usually leads obstruction of flow of CSF
- poor prognosis
- can be part of Meckel Gruber syndrome & Pentalogy of Cantrell
What are the sonographic findings for encephalocele?
1) open cranial defect
2) small or obliterated cisterna magna
3) complex mass protruding from the cranium
4) abnormal appearance of intracranial structures
What are the different types of cephaloceles and their contents?
- meningocele-> meninges only
- encephalocele-> brain tissue only
- encephalomeningocele-> both meninges and brain tissue
- ecephalomeningocystocele-> meninges, brain tissue, and lateral ventricle
What is hydrocephalus?
- caused by abnormal CSF drainage or the brain producing too much CSF
- this lead to dilated lateral ventricles first then the other ventricles will dilate too
- obstructive hydrocephalus is the buildup of CSF within the ventricular system secondary to some type of obstruction
- *dilation of the lateral ventricles is the first sign of hydrocephalus > 10 mm width
What are the two main types of hydrocephalus?
- communicating hydrocephalus is apparent when the obstruction lies outside of the ventricular system
- non-communicating hydrocephalus is when the obstruction level is located within the ventricular system
What is ventriculomegaly?
- *dilation of the lateral ventricles, other ventricles are normal
- most common cranial abnormality
- suspicion of ventricular dilation occurs when the atrial diameter measures greater than 10 mm