Comparison of First and Second Trimester Screening for Fetal Anomalies

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Abstract
Abstract: Four thousand fifty unselected pregnant women bearing a total of 4,078 fetuses were examined by transvaginal sonography (TVS) at 14 weeks of gestational age and rescreened via transabdominal sonography (TAS) at 21 weeks. Fifty‐four of 88 anomalies were correctly identified at first scan whereas 34 were not; of these, 24 were discovered at second trimester rescreening, and the remaining 10 were observed later in pregnancy or after birth. The sensitivity of TVS screening with respect to final outcome was 61.4% (54 of 88 malformations in total) and 69.2% in comparison to TAS screening results (54 malformations detected among 78 recognized within 21 weeks). The association between fetal malformation and chromosomal aberrations was also investigated: in our study population there were 21 aneuploides, 14 of which were recognized because of abnormal findings at the 14 weeks' TVS, 5 at the TAS rescreening, and 2 after birth in neonates free of structural abnormalities.