Anomalies and malformations affecting the fetal/neonatal chest

Abstract

Although significant anomalies of the fetal thorax are uncommon, with improvement in high-resolution ultrasonography, more of these lesions are being diagnosed prenatally. Accurate and specific prenatal diagnosis is important because different lesions have different natural histories and prognosis. Prenatal MRI is an increasingly important adjunct for identification and differentiation of these lesions and may help determine in selected cases when and if in utero fetal intervention is indicated.