Vivanti A, Fargeon-Guez K, Fries N, Cordier A-G, Benachi A
Service de gynécologie obstétrique et médecine de la reproduction, université Paris Sud, hôpital Antoine-Béclère, 157, rue de la Porte-de-Trivaux, 92141 Clamart, France.
J Gynecol Obstet Biol Reprod (Paris). 2013 May;42(3):282-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jgyn.2012.12.001. Epub 2013 Mar 11.
Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a rare disease (1/3000 live births). Carriers display a diaphragmatic defect responsible for an impaired pulmonary development and physiology. The aim of this study was to evaluate the information given to couples whose fetus display a CDH and the current knowledge of French sonographers about this disease.
A questionnaire was sent by email to 2000 sonographers, members of the French college of fetal ultrasonography, between May 1st and December 31st of 2010.
20,7 % (414) of the sonographers answered. Twenty-four percent are second line sonographers. Thirty-eight percent did not diagnose any diaphragmatic hernia in the last five years (2005-2010) and 42 % diagnosed 1 or 2 during the same period. Information concerning the prognostic remains elusive and most sonographers rapidly referred patients to prenatal diagnostic centers. Fifty-nine percent of sonographer are not aware of the existence in France of a Centre for Rare Disease for CDH.
Accurate assessment of prognosis is essential to provide adequate information to couples and to help them make a decision on whether or not to perform an in utero treatment. The heterogenous results of the survey clearly show the disparities between sonographers on the type of information delivered. A better diffusion of prognostic evaluation in CDH, among sonographers is needed.
