Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging has proved to be an extraordinarily useful adjunct modality in assessment of the fetal face, oral cavity, head and neck because of its soft-tissue contrast, utility for acquiring more precise planar imaging and the inherent advantage of contrast provided by fluid-filled structures, including the oropharyngeal cavity, nasal passages and vascular structures. In this review, the author presents an organized approach to assessing normal anatomical structures of the fetus. The author presents cystic and solid lesions as well as structural and developmental abnormalities and discusses potential concomitant abnormalities. Prenatal consultation, patient counseling and delivery considerations are included.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Houshmand G, Hosseinzadeh K, Ozolek J (2011) Prenatal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of a foregut duplication cyst of the tongue: value of real-time MRI evaluation of the fetal swallowing mechanism. J Ultrasound Med 30:843–850
Lee DH, Yoon TM, Lee JK, Lim SC (2017) Bronchogenic cyst in the head and neck region. J Craniofac Surg 28:e303–e305
Woodfield CA, Levine MS, Rubesin SE et al (2005) Pharyngeal retention cysts: radiographic findings in seven patients. AJR Am J Roentgenol 184:793–796
Gilbey P, Amirav I, Luder A (2011) Vallecular cyst: rare cause of failure to thrive without respiratory distress in an infant. J Pediatr 159:869–869.e1
Pollock JA, Newton TH, Hoyt WF (1968) Transsphenoidal and transethmoidal encephaloceles. A review of clinical and roentgen features in 8 cases. Radiology 90:442–453
Koral K, Geffner ME, Curran JG (2000) Trans-sphenoidal and sphenoethmoidal encephalocele: report of two cases and review of the literature. Australas Radiol 44:220–224
Rodríguez Tárrega E, Fuster Rojas S, Gómez Portero R et al (2016) Prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of a cyst of the oral cavity: an unusual case of thyroglossal duct cyst located on the tongue base. Case Rep Obstet Gynecol 2016:7816306
Dzieniecka M, Komorowska A, Grzelak-Krzymianowska A, Kulig A (2011) Multiple congenital epuli (congenital granular cell tumours) in the newborn: a case report and review of literature. Pol J Pathol 62:69–71
Lee J-M, Kim U-K, Shin S-H (2013) Multiple congenital epulis of the newborn: a case report and literature review. J Pediatr Surg Case Rep 1:32–33
Kwon Y-D, Kim MS, Seminario AL, Choi SC (2014) From newborn to toddler: the report of two cases with congenital granular cell tumor. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 73:291–294
Silva GC, Vieira TC, Vieira JC et al (2007) Congenital granular cell tumor (congenital epulis): a lesion of multidisciplinary interest. Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal 12:E428–E430
Chauhan DS, Guruprasad Y, Inderchand S (2011) Congenital nasopharyngeal teratoma with a cleft palate: case report and a 7 year follow up. J Maxillofac Oral Surg 10:253–256
Kirishima M, Yamada S, Shinya M et al (2018) An autopsy case of epignathus (immature teratoma of the soft palate) with intracranial extension but without brain invasion: case report and literature review. Diagn Pathol 13:99
ElSherbiny HM, El-Din MHN, Abdelazim IA et al (2019) Prenatal diagnosis and immediate successful management of isolated fetal epignathus. J Med Ultrasound 27:198–201
Clement K, Chamberlain P, Boyd P, Molyneux A (2001) Prenatal diagnosis of an epignathus: a case report and review of the literature. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 18:178–181
Masahata K, Soh H, Tachibana K et al (2019) Clinical outcomes of ex utero intrapartum treatment for fetal airway obstruction. Pediatr Surg Int 35:835–843
Agarwal P, Saxena S, Kumar S, Gupta R (2010) Melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy: presentation of a case affecting the maxilla. J Oral Maxillofac Pathol 14:29–32
Reddy ER, Kumar MS, Aduri R, Sreelakshmi N (2013) Melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy: a rare case report. Contemp Clin Dent 4:559–562
Moreau A, Galmiche L, Belhous K et al (2018) Prenatal diagnosis of a melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy (MNTI): a case report with a favorable outcome after chemotherapy failure and incomplete resection. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol 40:320–324
Defnet AM, Bagrodia N, Hernandez SL et al (2016) Pediatric lymphatic malformations: evolving understanding and therapeutic options. Pediatr Surg Int 32:425–433
Peranteau WH, Iyoob SD, Boelig MM et al (2017) Prenatal growth characteristics of lymphatic malformations. J Pediatr Surg 52:65–68
Bagrodia N, Defnet AM, Kandel JJ (2015) Management of lymphatic malformations in children. Curr Opin Pediatr 27:356–363
Shamshirsaz AA, Stewart KA, Erfani H et al (2019) Cervical lymphatic malformations: prenatal characteristics and ex utero intrapartum treatment. Prenat Diagn 39:287–292
Lee D, Lee JY, Na S, Hwang JY (2014) Huge fetal cervicomediastinal thymic cyst: successful antenatal intervention for vaginal delivery. J Ultrasound Med 33:919–921
Komura M, Kanamori Y, Sugiyama M et al (2010) A pediatric case of life-threatening airway obstruction caused by a cervicomediastinal thymic cyst. Pediatr Radiol 40:1569–1571
Lind RC, Hulscher JB, van der Wal JE et al (2010) A very rare case of a giant third branchial pouch remnant discovered in utero. Eur J Pediatr Surg 20:349–351
Patron V, Roudaut PY, Brosset P et al (2012) Right fourth branchial cyst presenting as retropharyngeal collection in a neonate. J Perinatol 32:153–155
Feygin T, Khalek N, Moldenhauer JS (2020) Fetal brain, head and neck tumors: prenatal imaging and management. Prenat Diagn. https://doi.org/10.1002/pd.5722
Peiró JL, Sbragia L, Scorletti F et al (2016) Management of fetal teratomas. Pediatr Surg Int 32:635–647
Wolfe K, Lewis D, Witte D et al (2013) Fetal cervical teratoma: what is the role of fetal MRI in predicting pulmonary hypoplasia? Fetal Diagn Ther 33:252–256
Güzelmansur I, Aksoy HT, Hakverdi S et al (2011) Fetal cervical neuroblastoma: prenatal diagnosis. Case Rep Med 2011:529749
Kolbe AB, Merrow AC, Eckel LJ et al (2019) Congenital hemangioma of the face-value of fetal MRI with prenatal ultrasound. Radiol Case Rep 14:1443–1446
Doğer E, Ceylan Y, Çakıroğlu AY, Çalışkan E (2015) Prenatal diagnosis and management of a fetal neck mass. J Turk Ger Gynecol Assoc 16:118–120
Nemec U, Nemec SF, Brugger PC et al (2015) Normal mandibular growth and diagnosis of micrognathia at prenatal MRI. Prenat Diagn 35:108–116
Rogers-Vizena CR, Mulliken JB, Daniels KM, Estroff JA (2016) Prenatal features predictive of Robin sequence identified by fetal magnetic resonance imaging. Plast Reconstr Surg 137:999e–1006e
Paladini D, Morra T, Teodoro A et al (1999) Objective diagnosis of micrognathia in the fetus: the jaw index. Obstet Gynecol 93:382–386
Rotten D, Levaillant JM, Martinez H et al (2002) The fetal mandible: a 2D and 3D sonographic approach to the diagnosis of retrognathia and micrognathia. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 19:122–130
Kooiman TD, Calabrese CE, Didier R et al (2018) Micrognathia and oropharyngeal space in patients with Robin sequence: prenatal MRI measurements. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 76:408–415
Resnick CM, Kooiman TD, Calabrese CE et al (2018) An algorithm for predicting Robin sequence from fetal MRI. Prenat Diagn 38:357–364
Society for Maternal–Fetal Medicine, Benacerraf BR, Bromley B, Jelin AC (2019) Micrognathia. Am J Obstet Gynecol 221:B13–B15
Mouthon L, Busa T, Bretelle F et al (2019) Prenatal diagnosis of micrognathia in 41 fetuses: retrospective analysis of outcome and genetic etiologies. Am J Med Genet A 179:2365–2373
Overcash RT, Marc-Aurele KL, Hull AD, Ramos GA (2016) Maternal iodine exposure: a case of fetal goiter and neonatal hearing loss. Pediatrics 137:e20153722
Panaitescu AM, Nicolaides K (2018) Fetal goitre in maternal Graves' disease. Acta Endocrinol 14:85–89
Figueiredo CM, Falcão I, Vilaverde J et al (2018) Prenatal diagnosis and management of a fetal goiter hypothyroidism due to dyshormonogenesis. Case Rep Endocrinol 2018:9564737
Delay F, Dochez V, Biquard F et al (2018) Management of fetal goiters: 6-year retrospective observational study in three prenatal diagnosis and treatment centers of the Pays De Loire Perinatal Network. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 4:1–191
Stoll C, Alembik Y, Dott B, Roth M-P (2016) Associated anomalies in cases with anotia and microtia. Eur J Med Genet 59:607–614
Bijok J, Kucińska-Chahwan A, Gielniewska-Michalczyk L et al (2019) The location of the fetal ears: a hint for prenatal diagnosis of agnathia-otocephaly complex. J Clin Ultrasound 47:369–371
Abukhalaf SA, Zalloum JS, Al Hammouri A et al (2020) Congenital arrhinia: a case report and literature review. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 135:110083
Li X, Zhang L, Wang F (2015) Prenatal diagnosis of total arhinia by MRI. Jpn J Radiol 33:672–674
Blask AR, Rubio EI, Chapman KA et al (2018) Severe nasomaxillary hypoplasia (binder phenotype) on prenatal US/MRI: an important marker for the prenatal diagnosis of chondrodysplasia punctata. Pediatr Radiol 48:979–991
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflicts of interest
None
Additional information
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rubio, E.I. Imaging of the fetal oral cavity, airway and neck. Pediatr Radiol 51, 1122–1133 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-020-04851-6
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-020-04851-6