Structured Training for Fetal Diagnostic Skills in a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship.

 The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine has described what constitutes a detailed fetal anatomic examination but what comprises an appropriate physician training program has not been described. The purpose of this paper is to describe a highly-structured program developed by our center to train maternal-fetal medicine fellows in a systematic approach to fetal diagnostic imaging.  We describe this approach in three phases.

Foetal premature atrial contractions during the second and third trimester are not associated with foetal breathing.

Foetal premature atrial contractions (PACs) are the most commonly encountered and also the most benign foetal arrhythmia. A retrospective cohort study was conducted with the objective to assess whether the presence of foetal breathing was associated with the presence of foetal PACs. A further objective was to evaluate whether this association would affect neonatal outcomes at a high volume referral centre.

A transcervical chorionic villus sampling model for teaching.

We sought to create a transcervical chorionic villus sampling model for teaching that would mimic a lifelike model. A model was created using silicone resembling the maternal interface. A cervix with an endocervical canal able to accommodate a catheter and a vagina was also created.

Prenatal diagnosis of Chiari malformation with syringomyelia in the second trimester.

Routine anatomic ultrasound performed in the second trimester has a detection rate of approximately 70-90% for fetal congenital abnormalities (Nyberg and Souter, J Ultrasound Med 2001;6:655-674). The central nervous system abnormalities are one of the most common ones detected. Chiari malformation is among the CNS abnormalities diagnosed in the fetal period (Bianchi et al.