Fetal lip and primary palate: three-dimensional versus two-dimensional US.

Purpose: To determine if three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonography (US) improves the ability to define the location and extent of facial clefting prenatally compared with two-dimensional (2D) US.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-one fetuses suspected of having a facial cleft were examined prospectively with 2D and 3D US. Follow-up was performed in all fetuses.

Results: Twenty-eight fetuses had a cleft lip at birth. The location of the cleft lip was correctly identified in all fetuses with 3D US and in 26 of 28 with 2D US. Twenty-two fetuses had a cleft primary palate. Nineteen and nine of 22 cleft palates were identified by using 3D and 2D US, respectively. Three fetuses suspected of having a facial cleft at 2D US had a normal palate at 3D US and at birth.

Conclusion: Three-dimensional US is useful to identify the location and extent of facial clefting. The advantages of 3D US are the following: (a) The face may be viewed in a standard orientation, (b) the defect may be viewed systematically by using an interactive display, and (c) the rendered image provides landmarks for the planar images. Patient decisions may be affected, since they can view the abnormality on a recognizable 3D rendered image.