PRENATAL SONOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS AND DOPPLER BLOOD-FLOW STUDY IN A CASE OF A LARGE FETAL MEDIASTINAL TERATOMA

Although fetal mediastinal teratomas may result in respiratory distres s in the neonatal period and lead to perinatal mortality, they are rar ely diagnosed prenatally. Furthermore, their impact on fetal hemodynam ics has never been described. We report a case of a large fetal medias tinal teratoma prenatally visualized at 38 weeks' gestation by both tw o- and three-dimensional ultrasound. We also describe the associated c hanges in the Doppler flow velocimetry, namely, a decrease in cardiac output, prolonged acceleration time in the pulmonary artery and an inc rease in the umbilical artery S/D ratio. The baby was well at the 5-mo nth follow-up after an operation in the neonatal period. From our case , we believe that accurate prenatal diagnosis and assessment by two- a nd three-dimensional ultrasound as well as Doppler flow velocimetry ma y contribute to a better perinatal outcome.