Clinical value of serial ultrasonography in the dynamic observation of foetal cystic adrenal lesions

Imaging and outcomes of fetal adrenal hemorrhage: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE

To describe prenatal and postnatal imaging findings of fetal adrenal hemorrhage (FAH) and its associated perinatal outcomes, including frequency of postnatal surgical intervention.

METHOD

A systematic literature review of seven electronic databases was conducted from inception until January 2022, with 2008 articles identified reporting prenatally identified fetal adrenal masses. Studies with confirmed FAH diagnosis were included. Quality and risk assessment were evaluated.

RESULTS

Thirty-five studies, including 102 FAH cases, were analyzed. FAH was commonly described as cystic (28/90, 31%), anechoic (25/90, 28%), or mixed echogenic (14/90, 16%) on ultrasound. Outcome data were available for 65 cases (64%) of FAH: 9% (6/65) resolved prenatally, 35% (23/65) resolved postnatally, 34% (22/65) regressed in size after birth, and 22% (14/65) persisted postnatally. Overall, 25% (16/65) of cases underwent postnatal surgical intervention. Neuroblastoma was suspected in all 16 surgical cases. Only one case (1/16, 6%) confirmed a cystic hematoma with microscopic islets of neuroblastoma in situ on pathology.

CONCLUSION

Prenatal diagnosis of FAH is challenging due to the significant heterogeneity of ultrasound findings. Final pathology did not support the need for surgical intervention. Persistent postnatal FAH warrants shared decision making for further management based on the clinical presentation.

Fetal Abdominal Cystic Masses: Clinical Spectrum and Prenatal Ultrasound Diagnosis

OBJECTIVES

To assess the diagnostic accuracy of prenatal ultrasound in detecting intra-abdominal masses derived from different systems.

METHODS

Fetuses diagnosed with abdominal cystic masses during prenatal ultrasound were included in this study. The basic biological parameters of the fetus were measured in addition to the location of the cystic mass, the shape and size of the mass, the thickness of the cystic wall, dynamic changes, blood supply of the mass, and relationship with the surrounding organs. Whether the fetus also had other malformations was also recorded. Clinical data were followed up to 6 months after birth.

RESULTS

Between January 1, 2019 and January 1, 2021, 247 fetuses were included, most of which contained renal/adrenal cystic masses (n = 93, 37.7%), followed by hepatobiliary system (n = 48, 19.4%), gastrointestinal tract (n = 45, 18.2%), reproductive system (n = 29, 11.7%), and ureter and bladder (n = 27, 10.9%) masses, respectively. The minority were masses in other systems (n = 5, 2.0%). The overall prenatal diagnostic accuracy was 90.7%. There were significant differences in each system (χ²  = 13.0, P < .05). The most accurate type of cyst was diagnosed from renal and adrenal (96.8%) cases, followed by ureter and bladder (92.6%) cases, gastrointestinal tract (91.1%), hepatobiliary system (85.4%), and reproductive system (82.8%). Other systems (60.0%) were the least accurate type.

CONCLUSIONS

A wide variety of cystic masses can be accurately detected in the fetal abdomen, and most of these lesions can be accurately diagnosed during pregnancy.

Imaging modalities and management of prenatally diagnosed suprarenal masses: an updated literature review and the experience at a high volume Fetal Treatment Center

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

The differential diagnosis for prenatal suprarenal masses (SRMs) is broad and includes neuroblastoma, adrenal hemorrhage, and subdiaphragmatic extralobar pulmonary sequestration (SEPS). We sought to elucidate the appropriate postnatal management for fetuses found to have an SRM.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective review of patients prenatally diagnosed with SRM at our institution between 1998 and 2018. Prenatal characteristics, imaging, and neonatal outcomes were collected. We also performed a PubMed literature search and pooled analysis of all patients with a prenatally diagnosed SRM previously described in the literature.

RESULTS

The literature review yielded 32 studies, of which 19 were single case reports. In our case series, 12 patients were included. Seven patients were delivered vaginally, one was terminated. Postnatal diagnoses included: SEPS (n = 5), adrenal hemorrhage (n = 3), polycystic kidney (n = 2), splenic cyst (n = 1), and unknown for one patient. All but two of the final diagnoses had been on the initial diagnostic differential. With the exception of the terminated fetus, all remain alive today. On pooled analysis, patients who underwent operative management were diagnosed later 32 versus 24 weeks and had a significant predominance of left-sided lesions (59.5 versus 39.2%). The published literature demonstrates a trend toward observation versus resection over the past 30 years.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients prenatally diagnosed with an SRM have an excellent prognosis. Our series demonstrates a high incidence of SEPS, which were all resected, and adrenal hemorrhage, which were observed with repeat imaging. These patients can be followed with serial postnatal ultrasounds to determine the diagnosis prior to deciding the appropriate treatment.

Outcomes of sonographically-suspected fetal intra-abdominal cysts: Surgical intervention, conservative management and spontaneous regression

OBJECTIVE

The prenatal diagnosis of fetal intra-abdominal cysts is challenging. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic ability of prenatal ultrasound for fetal intra-abdominal cysts and to develop a predictive method for pre- and postnatal outcomes.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed fetuses with ultrasound-detected intra-abdominal cysts between January 2013 and January 2020. The maternal-fetal clinical characteristics and ultrasound parameters were integrated into a model of pre- or postnatal outcomes.

RESULTS

The study enrolled 190 eligible fetuses, including 94 cases of spontaneous regression, 33 cases of conservative management and 63 cases of surgical intervention. For the 63 cases of surgical intervention, prenatal ultrasound was found to identify fetal intra-abdominal cysts with 80.00% sensitivity (95% CI: 67.03%-89.57%), 37.50% specificity (95% CI: 8.52%-75.51%), 89.80% positive predictive value (95% CI: 83.51%-93.86%), 21.43% negative predictive value (95% CI: 8.80%-43.53%) and 74.60% accuracy (95% CI: 62.06%-84.73%). The predictive model of prenatal spontaneous regression was as follows: y = -3.291 + 0.083 × gestational age + 1.252 × initial diameter, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.819 (95% CI: 0.739-0.899) and an optimal cut-off value of 0.74. The large cyst diameter before delivery was an independent predictor of postnatal surgical intervention (p < 0.001), with an AUC of 0.710 (95% CI: 0.625-0.794) and an optimal cut-off value of 3.35 cm.

CONCLUSION

Although ultrasound has a limited ability in the accurate diagnosis of fetal abdominal cysts, a simple method of measuring the diameter can predict fetal outcomes and identify the cases that may require surgical intervention or spontaneous regression.

Prenatal Assessment of Atypical Adrenal Glands: A Systematic Approach for Diagnosis

The aim of this study was to identify specific unusual prenatal ultrasound (US) patterns of the adrenal gland and to propose a systematic approach for diagnosis. Six fetuses with unusual aspects of one or both adrenal glands, detected during routine prenatal US screening, were evaluated. Prenatal and postnatal management are described. A checklist of US features was created to perform a detailed analysis of adrenal lesions and guide prenatal management; this includes the time of appearance, location, growth, vascularization, structure, and presence of findings suggestive of malignancy.