Three-dimensional ultrasonographic imaging of fetal tooth buds for characterization of facial clefts

The purpose of this prospective study was to investigate whether the antena tal characterization of fetal facial clefts can be improved by three-dimens ional ultrasonographic visualization of fetal tooth buds. Between January 1 996 and June 1998, seventeen consecutive fetuses with facial clefts were ex amined for fetal maxillary tooth buds in the cleft area using three-dimensi onal multiplanar reconstruction. It was possible in all cases to classify t he clefts either as cleft lip alone or unilateral cleft lip and palate or b ilateral cleft lip and palate. Three-dimensional computed tomography and hi stological jaw sections of three stillborn infants were produced in order t o examine the correlation between the sonographic, radiographical and histo logical findings. The prenatal characterization of the facial clefts by mea ns of a visualization of the tooth buds showed to be accurate postnatally i n all cases. The sonographic proof of tooth buds might gain increasing impo rtance as this technique seems to facilitate and improve the prenatal class ification of suspected facial clefts. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd . All rights reserved.