ABSTRACT
Our objective was to review current literature pertaining to prenatal ultrasonography
of various fetal intracranial neoplastic and non-neoplastic tumors. To this goal,
all manuscripts published in the English language regarding this topic obtained from
a MEDLINE search from 1966 through January 1998 were selected and reviewed. Additional
sources were identified through cross-referencing. Intracranial fetal tumors are extremely
rare and precise diagnosis is dependent on histology examination of tissue obtained
at subsequent surgery or autopsy. Currently, prenatal ultrasonographic findings associated
with the following fetal intracranial tumors have been described: teratomas; neuroepithelial
tumors including: glioblastoma, astrocytoma, gangliocytoma, medulloblastoma, choroid
plexus, and papilloma; and mesenchymal tumors. Non-neoplastic fetal intracranial tumors
are even less frequent and include: unilateral megalencephaly, heterotopia, and lipoma
of the corpus callosum. Cardinal ultrasonographic findings associated with fetal intracranial
tumors include: echogenic and semicystic space occupying lesions with or without distortion
of normal symmetrical intracranial (usually midline) structures, calcifications, craniomegaly,
polyhydramnios, obstructive hydrocephaly, high-output cardiac failure (hydrops fetalis),
the presence of other associated structural anomalies, and infrequently abnormal cerebral
Doppler flow velocimetry.
Keywords
Prenatal diagnosis - prenatal ultrasound - fetal intracranial tumors
