Cephalocele Definition Cephaloceles are cranial defects along bony sutures in which there is a herniation of the brain and/or meninges. Cephaloceles can be occipital, parietal, or frontal; in the Western Hemisphere, 80% are occipital. If the cephalocele sac contains brain…
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has an established role in evaluation of maternal conditions, placenta accreta spectrum, and fetal anomalies. Fetal malformations are addressed in other chapters; here we review the role of MRI, emphasizing appropriate utilization in order to maximize…
Three-dimensional (3D) and four-dimensional (4D) ultrasonography (US), also referred to as volume sonography, have developed significantly in recent years. Two-dimensional (2D) US remains the backbone of sonographic imaging, to which 3D and 4D US have contributed an additional layer of…
Though gray-scale ultrasound is ubiquitous in contemporary obstetric practice, it is limited in its ability to assess fetal hemodynamic status. Adding color, power, and pulsed Doppler ultrasound functions greatly improves understanding of fetal circulation and hemodynamic status. Doppler ultrasound detects…
The midtrimester fetal ultrasound examination (“anatomy scan”) serves as an important checkpoint for evaluation of the pregnancy and its potential risks. It affords an opportunity to compare obstetric dating with fetal biometric measures, and it permits, prior to fetal viability,…
All those who drink of this remedy recover in a short time, except those whom it does not help, who die. Therefore, it is obvious that it fails only in incurable cases. Galen (circa AD 100) Evidence-Based Medicine in Perspective…
Knowledge of respiratory gas exchange across the human placenta depends on integrating observations in pregnant patients with experimental findings in laboratory animals. The evidence in laboratory animals consists of a fairly comprehensive set of data in sheep, with chronically implanted…
Blood Flow Patterns and Oxygen Delivery In the mammalian adult, oxygenation occurs in the lungs, and oxygenated blood returns via the pulmonary veins to the left side of the heart to be ejected by the left ventricle into the systemic…
Sufficient intake of nutrients during pregnancy is essential to meet the demands of fetal growth and development as well as maternal physiologic adaptations to pregnancy. The nutritional status of pregnant women in the United States is suboptimal , owing to…
Universal breastfeeding is recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and…