František Grochal, Robert Dankovčík
Prenatal ultrasonographic screening of a foetus between 11+0 and 13+6 weeks of pregnancy enables to estimate a risk of some chromosomal and structural foetal anomalies. As the embryonic development is completed by that time, most of structural anomalies are present at the time of this screening, and thus they are theoretically detectable. Despite of several limitations of early ultrasound scans as the size of observed structures, patient’s echogenicity etc., structural anomalies can be sometimes also seen, which enables an earlier diagnosis of some syndromes or more complicated morphological anomalies of foetal organs. The work provides an overview of anatomical structures and some anomalies that can be visible during the first ultrasonographic screening.
Keywords: ultrasonographic anatomy, structural anomalies, first trimester