PRENATAL SONOGRAPHIC FINDINGS IN TRISOMY-13, TRISOMY-18, TRISOMY-21 AND TRISOMY-22 - A REVIEW OF 46 CASES

A study of 46 patients with trisomic fetuses was performed to determin e if there are one or more second-trimester ultrasonic findings predic tive of aneuploidy. Videotapes of ultrasonography performed prior to a mniocentesis on the 46 fetuses with autosomal trisomy and from a contr ol group of 50 chromosomally normal fetus es were reviewed without kno wledge of the karyotype. Fetuses with autosomal trisomies had short lo ng bones, especially femurs, as well as high biparietal diameter/femur length ratios. In addition, a nuchal thickness of > 5 mm, abnormal he art anatomy, slight pyelectasis, increased bowel echogenicity and/or a bnormal flexion of the hands were all predictive of autosomal trisomie s.