Assessment of Pericallosal Arteries by Color Doppler Ultrasonography at 11-14 Weeks: An Early Marker of Fetal Corpus Callosum Development in Normal Fetuses and Agenesis in Cases with Chromosomal Anomalies

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to determine (a) whether the normal pericallosal vascular map can be visualized using color Doppler ultrasonography in normal fetuses in the first trimester of pregnancy and (b) whether an abnormal pericallosal artery (PA) vascular map can be observed in fetuses with corpus callosum agenesis early in pregnancy. METHODS: In 150 consecutive women undergoing a routine ultrasound examination at 11-14 weeks of gestation in our high-risk pregnancy unit as part of screening for chromosomal abnormalities, a mid-sagittal view of the fetal head was obtained to measure nuchal translucency thickness, assess nasal bones in their corresponding two oblique planes and intracranial translucency. In this view and with color Doppler ultrasonography, we evaluated the vascular map of the PA. RESULTS: The vascular map of the PA was observed in 97.02% of cases at the 11- to 14-week evaluation (144/150 fetuses). Two cases with an abnormal PA were identified and confirmed as corpus callosum agenesis in the second trimester, 1 due to trisomy 13 and the other due to triploidy. CONCLUSIONS: The PA can routinely be observed at the first-trimester evaluation with color Doppler ultrasonography using the mid-sagittal view of the fetal head. The presence of an abnormal vascular map of the PA by Doppler ultrasonography at 11-14 weeks raises the suspicion of corpus callosum agenesis.