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Fetal ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging: a primer on how to interpret prenatal lung lesions

  • Fetal imaging
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Abstract

Fetal lung lesions include common lesions such as congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM), bronchopulmonary sequestration (BPS) and combined CPAM–BPS hybrid lesions, as well as less common entities including congenital lobar emphysema/obstruction, bronchial atresia, bronchogenic cysts and rare malignant pulmonary lesions such as pleuropulmonary blastoma. Fetal lung lesions occur in approximately 1 in 15,000 live births and are thought to arise from a spectrum of abnormalities related to airway obstruction and malformation, with the lesion type depending on the timing of insult, level of bronchial tree involvement, and severity of obstruction. Lesions vary from small and asymptomatic to large and symptomatic with significant mass effect on surrounding structures. Accurate diagnosis and characterization of these anomalies is crucial for guiding patient counseling as well as perinatal and postnatal management. The goal of this review is to provide an overview of normal fetal lung appearance and imaging features of common and uncommon lesions on both ultrasound and MR imaging, and to discuss key aspects in reporting and evaluating the severity of these lesions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania, 3401 Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Niamh C. Adams, Teresa Victoria & Edward R. Oliver

  2. Department of Surgery, Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Julie S. Moldenhauer & N. Scott Adzick

  3. Department of Radiology, National Maternity Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

    Gabrielle C. Colleran

  4. Department of Radiology, Children’s Health Ireland at Temple Street, Dublin, Ireland

    Gabrielle C. Colleran

Authors
  1. Niamh C. Adams
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  2. Teresa Victoria
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  3. Edward R. Oliver
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  4. Julie S. Moldenhauer
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  5. N. Scott Adzick
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  6. Gabrielle C. Colleran
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Correspondence to Niamh C. Adams.

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Adams, N.C., Victoria, T., Oliver, E.R. et al. Fetal ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging: a primer on how to interpret prenatal lung lesions. Pediatr Radiol 50, 1839–1854 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-020-04806-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-020-04806-x

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