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Management of the Fetus With a Correctable Congenital Defect
Michael R. Harrison, MD;
Mitchell S. Golbus, MD;
Roy A. Filly, MD
JAMA. 1981;246(7):774-777.
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| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings. |
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THE HUMAN fetus has for centuries remained a medical recluse in an opaque womb. Now fetal anatomy, normal and abnormal, can be accurately delineated by ultrasonography, a noninvasive technique that appears safe for fetus and mother. Some fetal malformations with a known pattern of inheritance may be specifically sought. However, many are identified serendipitously during obstetric sonography, sometimes because the obstetric conditions that lead to sonography are associated with underlying fetal malformations. For example, oligohydramnios is associated with fetal urinary tract obstruction and polyhydramnios with fetal upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract obstruction.1-4
Until recently, the only question raised by the prenatal diagnosis of a fetal malformation was whether to abort the fetus, but other therapeutic alternatives are becoming available, such as changing the timing of delivery, changing the mode of delivery, and even treatment before birth. Since perinatal management may be altered, prenatal diagnosis now assumes practical clinical importance.
In
. . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]
Author Affiliations
From The Fetal Treatment Program, and the Departments of Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Pediatrics and Radiology, University of California, San Francisco.
Footnotes
Reprint requests to The Fetal Treatment Program, Room 585 HSE, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143 (Dr Harrison).
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