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SONOGRAPHIC ASSESSMENT OF THE FETAL PALPEBRAL FISSURE SLANT—AN ADDITIONAL TOOL IN THE PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS OF SYNDROMES
Author(s) -
MIELKE GUNTHER,
DIETZ KLAUS,
FRANZ HEIKO,
REISS IRWIN,
GEMBRUCH ULRICH
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
prenatal diagnosis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.956
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1097-0223
pISSN - 0197-3851
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0223(199704)17:4<323::aid-pd66>3.0.co;2-1
Subject(s) - palpebral fissure , fetus , medicine , gestation , anatomy , pregnancy , biology , genetics
Several syndromes and aneuploidies are associated with ocular abnormalities including up‐ and down‐slanting palpebral fissures. We describe a technique for the sonographic assessment of the fetal palpebral fissure slant which was used in 70 normal pregnancies from 14 to 36 weeks of gestation. In a frontal view of the fetal face, the inferior angle between the palpebral fissure and the midline of the skull was determined. The median angle was 89°, with a range from 87° to 90°. In selected cases, sonographic assessment of the fetal palpebral fissure slant may be a helpful additional tool in the prenatal diagnosis of syndromes, as demonstrated in a fetus with Seckel syndrome associated with downslanting palpebral fissures and in a fetus with Down's syndrome associated with upslanting palpebral fissures. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.