Prenatal diagnosis of pleural effusions by ultrasound

✍ Scribed by Pentti Jouppila; Pertti Kirkinen; Riitta Herva; Maila Koivisto

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1983
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 602 KB
• Volume: 11
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0091-2751
• DOI: 10.1002/jcu.1870110915

✦ Synopsis

Pleural fluid accumulations form an unusual finding in the fetus, and when present at delivery have a mortality rate of 15%.' Most of the cases diagnosed during pregnancy have had hydrothorax associated with generalized hydrops fetalis (ascites, skin edema, pericardial effusion). In these cases the etiology is often some extrathoracic fetal affliction. In some cases, the pleural fluid accumulations are the only pathological feature in the This article reports two cases in which a prenatal ultrasonic diagnosis of pleural effusion originating from lung processes was achieved.

CASE REPORTS

Case 1

A 26-year-old gravida was referred to the hospital due to an accelerated increase in the symphysisfundus height at 33 weeks of gestation. There had been no pathological features until 31 weeks, when a suspicion of polyhydramnios arose. Moderate polyhydramnios was observed at the first ultrasonic examination (by Toshiba SAL-BOA and Octason), but no abnormalities could be detected in the central nervous system, digestive tract, urogenital system, or limbs. A bilateral pleural effusion was diagnosed in the thoracic area of the fetus, the hydrothorax on the right side being the dominant feature (Figs. 1 and2). No generalized hydrops or fetal ascites were detected and the biparietal diameter of 87 mm and transverse body diameter of 92 mm at the umbil-From the