OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate distinguishing the right/left side of the fetus, cardiac axis and position according to the standardized Cordes technique in 20 cases with cardiac malposition. METHODS We studied retrospectively 1536 cases whose fetal echocardiographic examinations were performed between 1999 and 2006 in prenatal cardiology unit. Among these, cardiac malposition...

Any discussion of this subject 10 to 15 years ago would of necessity have been limited to morbid anatomical concepts with descriptions mainly of inhaled amniotic debris and the possible prenatal origin of hyaline membrane disease (HMD). With the advances in knowledge of fetal pulmonary physiology, the production and absorption of lung liquid, surfactant synthetic pathways and fetal breathing mo...

etal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is being used increasingly for confirmation and further characterization of brain abnormalities detected on routine prenatal sonography. It offers improved contrast resolution and direct visualization of both sides of the developing brain and is not susceptible to the limitations of sonography such as fetal position and amniotic fluid volume. With fetal MRI...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of the hands and knees position during the first stage of labour to facilitate the rotation of the fetal head to the occiput anterior position. DESIGN Randomised controlled trial. SETTING Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland. POPULATION A total of 439 women with a fetus in the occiput posterior position during the first stage of labour. METHODS The...

Stress or elevated glucocorticoids during sensitive windows of fetal development increase the risk of neuropsychiatric disorders in adult rodents and humans, a phenomenon known as glucocorticoid programming. 11β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11β-HSD2), which catalyses rapid inactivation of glucocorticoids in the placenta, controls access of maternal glucocorticoids to the fetal compartme...

restored by adjustment of sensitivity controls in the normal fashion. Continuous recording of two echoes by time-position is not important because respiratory activity is continuously monitored by chart recorder. The time-position signals are merely used to verify the respiratory origin of the recorded signals. The recording of fetal chest wall velocity provides additional information which may...

Counselling couples facing the birth of an extremely preterm infant is a complex and delicate task, entailing both challenges and opportunities. This revised position statement proposes using a prognosis-based approach that takes the best estimate of gestational age into account, along with additional factors, including estimated fetal weight, receipt of antenatal corticosteroids, singleton ver...

The caesarean section is now the most frequent surgery performed on women at the reproductive age. It is known that caesarean section is associated with risks for the mother and baby, not only in the current pregnancy but also for future pregnancies. Taking into account these consequences and the rising trend of performing caesarean sections globally, strategies and recommendations have been fo...

BACKGROUND There are concerns about the harmful effects of the Valsalva maneuver during the second stage of labor. OBJECTIVES Comparing the effects of spontaneous pushing in the lateral position with the Valsalva maneuver during the second stage of labor on maternal and fetal outcomes. METHODS Inclusion criteria in this randomized clinical trial conducted in Iran were as follows: nulliparou...

BACKGROUND The frequency of posterior presentations (occiput of the fetus towards the sacrum of the mother) in labor is approximately 20% and, of this, 5% remain posterior until the end of labor. These posterior presentations are associated with higher rates of cesarean section and instrumental delivery. Manual rotation of a posterior position in order to rotate the fetus to an anterior positio...