Three-dimensional Ultrasonography in the Evaluation of the Fetal Cerebellum*

For the last years three-dimensional ultrasonography has become an imaging diagnosis method of great importance in obstetrics. One of its advantages would be the higher sensitivity compared with two-dimensional ultrasound in the diagnosis of some fetal malformations. The potential applications of this new method would be an improved accuracy in the measurement of fetal organs, the possibility of reviewing volumes in the absence of the patient, and using different planes to assess specific anatomical structures, as well as the capacity to transfer data files to remote reference centers. Ultrasonographic evaluation of fetal cerebellum is particularly important, since developmental alterations are correlated with the fetal growth alterations and congenital anomalies. The objective of this updating is to demonstrate the VOCALTM and 3D XITM methods in the evaluation of the fetal cerebellum, their potential benefits, and the latest information in the literature about this subject.