The diagnostic value of perinatal ultrasound monitoring for foetal abdominal mass.

In the past two years seven cases of foetal abdominal mass were observed prenatally and operated on within 30 days of life. In four of seven cases no abdominal mass was ever palpable neither at birth nor under anaesthesia just before laparotomy, whereas in all cases it was both sonographically and surgically detected. The authors stress the importance of perinatal ultrasound monitoring to cope early with clinically undetectable abdominal mass. Furthermore, they emphasise that the necessary condition for definition of a mass should by now be that it is palpable and seen via ultrasound, but a perinatal ultrasound image of mass is sufficient to warrant careful detailed clinical evaluation.