First-trimester diagnosis of osteogenesis imperfecta associated with encephalocele by conventional and three-dimensional ultrasound

To illustrate the three-dimensional sonographic features of a rare genetic disorder, we report on prenatal diagnosis of osteogenesis imperfecta congenita associated with encephalocele at 13 weeks of gestation, using conventional and three-dimensional ultrasound. Because the parents were first-degree cousins and on the basis of the family history, a recessive autosomal inheritance was suspected. Of seven previous pregnancies, five were unaffected and two had been terminated in the second trimester owing to a similar abnormality (one affected boy and one affected girl). In the case we present, the diagnosis was made on the basis of two-dimensional ultrasound performed by physicians aware of the history; the quality of three-dimensional ultrasound imaging suggests that this technique might have contributed toward establishing a precise diagnosis in the absence of a positive family history. Besides, the global view provided by three-dimensional surface-rendering images made the parents more confident of the accuracy of the diagnosis. Although osteogenesis imperfecta congenita is generally considered as autosomal dominant, the case we report suggests that it may be inherited in a recessive autosomal fashion at least when associated with encephalocele. Three-dimensional ultrasound confirmed the conventional two-dimensional examination and was helpful in convincing the parents of the accuracy of the diagnosis. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.