Fetal intestinal volvulus is a rare condition that can lead to hemorrhage, bowel necrosis, and urgent surgical treatment after birth. Thus, prompt diagnosis and treatment are essential to avoiding fetal or neonatal demise. Prenatal ultrasound is a keystone tool in the diagnostic course. However, sonographic findings tend to be non-specific, with limited understanding of the pathophysiology behind their atypical presentation. With a literature review and a case series, we aim to optimize the antenatal diagnosis and management of this rare but life-threatening condition. Six cases from our institution were retrospectively analyzed over 12 years. A literature review was conducted until December 2022. A total of 300 articles matched the keyword \"Fetal volvulus\", and 52 studies were eligible for the review. Our 6 cases are added to the 107 cases reported in the literature of fetal intestinal volvulus with antenatal ultrasound assessment and without associated gastroschisis or omphalocele. Several prenatal symptoms and ultrasound markers, even if not specific, were more frequently reported. Different experiences of management were described regarding follow-up, the timing of delivery, the mode of delivery, and surgery outcomes. This paper highlights the importance of suspecting and assessing fetal volvulus at routine ultrasound scans, describing the most frequent antenatal presentations and management in order to improve fetal and neonatal outcomes.

UNASSIGNED: Antenatal care is essential for all expectant mothers and assists in reducing maternal mortality rates thus addressing the Sustainable Development Goal 3. Obstetric ultrasound complements antenatal care and is used in pregnancy to identify and monitor high-risk pregnancies. However, disparities exist and in low- and middle-income countries, ultrasound services are not readily available. This contributes to maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality within these populations. Short ultrasound training programmes for midwives can be beneficial in alleviating some of the challenges experienced.
UNASSIGNED: The aim of this scoping review was to identify global ultrasound education programmes for midwives.
UNASSIGNED: Articles containing suitable keywords were retrieved from databases suitable to nursing, education and ultrasound. Themes were developed based on the articles included in the review.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 238 articles were identified, and after the duplicates and irrelevant studies were removed, 22 articles were included. Articles were analysed and discussed under the identified themes and categories.
UNASSIGNED: It is essential that sufficient training is provided to medical professionals performing obstetric ultrasound so that adequate and safe care is offered to expectant mothers. With the introduction of ultrasound in low-resource settings, the knowledge of safety and competencies required to operate the equipment necessitate adequate training. Developed programmes have been found to meet the demands of the ever-changing workforce and allow for midwives to perform focused obstetric ultrasound examinations.
UNASSIGNED: This scoping review highlighted ultrasound training programmes for midwives and provided guidance on the development of future midwifery ultrasound training programmes.

UNASSIGNED: The aim of this systematic review is to critically assess the efficacy of the cerebroplacental ratio performed in the third trimester at predicting adverse perinatal outcomes and reducing stillbirth rates.
UNASSIGNED: The literature search was performed using CINAHL, EMBASE, EMCARE, MEDLINE and PubMed including systematic reviews, retrospective and prospective studies from inception until July 2020 utilising the PRISMA checklist and flowchart. Data displaying sensitivities, specificity and odds ratios (OR) to include 95% confidence interval (CI) were extracted and synthesised.
UNASSIGNED: Initially, 1226 studies were identified, and nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Sample sizes ranged from 491 to 9772 pregnancies. The cerebroplacental ratio had the strongest diagnostic accuracy of all of the independent variables for detecting fetal demise (mean sensitivity and specificity; 79% and 78%). The cerebroplacental ratio, however, did not perform as favourably at predicting operative delivery (mean sensitivity and specificity; 59% and 82%) or anticipating admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (mean sensitivity and specificity; 55% and 74%).
UNASSIGNED: The results from this study showed that the cerebroplacental ratio within third trimester pregnancies has been proven to have moderate to high diagnostic value when detecting adverse perinatal outcomes, in particular fetal demise.
UNASSIGNED: Cerebroplacental ratio has the potential as a diagnostic tool to reduce adverse perinatal outcomes, in particular fetal demise and help reduce stillbirth rates. The main study limitation involved heterogeneity within the included studies, in particular with a regard to blinding.

UNASSIGNED: There are global disparities in the provision of maternal health care, with women from rural communities and under-resourced countries expecting poorer access to healthcare services. This potentially compounds the existing higher burden of maternal and neonatal morbidity within these populations. In this setting, point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) has the potential to improve outcomes while mitigating challenges and barriers associated with the introduction of new medical technology.
UNASSIGNED: To explore the availability and impact of PoCUS use for antenatal care (ANC) in under-resourced settings.
UNASSIGNED: Medline, Embase and Scopus were searched with no year limit. Studies were included if the participants were pregnant women undergoing ANC in a rural setting or developing country and if the intervention was PoCUS use or training.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 3863 unique articles were identified, with 17 meeting the inclusion criteria. Studies originated from Africa, Asia, Central America and Australia. All studies reported that POCUS use for ANC produced positive outcomes. PoCUS introduction into routine ANC resulted in higher antenatal attendance and reduced maternal and neonatal mortality rates. It was demonstrated that it was feasible to provide local healthcare workers with limited training to perform quality scanning and reporting in their clinics. Methods and measures of these three primary outcomes varied between studies.
UNASSIGNED: Integration of PoCUS into ANC in the settings examined improved outcomes in under-resourced areas. Further research should investigate the availability of PoCUS services at a country level, the clinical impact and economic feasibility.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose to the study was to determine the relationship, if any, between the placental location site and antepartum complications of pregnancy.
METHODS: A University research librarian conducted a comprehensive literature search using the search engines PubMed and Web of Science. The search terms were \"placental location\" AND \"pregnancy complications\" OR \"perinatal complications. There were no limits put on the years of the search.
RESULTS: The search identified 110 articles. After reviewing all the abstracts, relevant full articles, and references of full articles, there were 22 articles identified specific to antepartum complications. Central + fundal locations compared to all lateral were associated with a lower risk of hypertension during pregnancy RR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.31-0.71]. Central location compared to all lateral was also associated with lower risk of hypertension during pregnancy [RR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.26-0.59]. Placenta locations in the lower uterine segment were associated with greater risk of antepartum hemorrhage (APH) [RR = 2.99, 95% CI: 1.16-7.75] compared to above the lower uterine segment. No differences were observed in placental locations and gestational diabetes (GDM), preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (PPROM), preterm delivery (PTD) or on a placental abruption.
CONCLUSIONS: Central and fundal location sites and central location alone decreased the risk of hypertension during pregnancy. Low uterine segment location sites increased the risk for APH. There were no effects of placenta location sites on the development of GDM, PPROM, PTD or abruption.

Pseudoamniotic band syndrome is a rare complication that occurs after invasive procedures for complicated monochorionic twins. We report 2 cases of intrauterine recipient fetal death after laser therapy for twin-twin transfusion syndrome due to umbilical cord constriction by the amniotic band.

Introduction: The benefits of the use of ultrasound technology for point of care obstetric health evaluation have led to increased focus on training programs for physicians wanting to develop skills in this area. Simulation, in a variety of formats, has always played a role in medical and health training, with proven benefits. This systematic review determines the level of evidence available to support the use of high fidelity ultrasound simulators in the training of obstetric ultrasound scanning skills to health professionals. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was performed to define previous investigations into the incorporation of high fidelity ultrasound simulators into obstetric ultrasound training programs. The included studies were reviewed by the authors to evaluate their overall strength and quality. Data surrounding the study participants, simulator types, study design, training program format, outcome measures, and results were extracted. Results and conclusions: While the small body of evidence discovered in this review demonstrates positive results for the use of high fidelity simulators in obstetric ultrasound training, the studies included in this review demonstrate a moderate level of evidence, with some potential of bias throughout. A number of gaps in the literature were identified that could be addressed in further research.

Persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous is a spectrum of congenital ocular abnormalities characterized by leukocoria, microphthalmia, cataracts, extensive intravitreal hemorrhage, persistence of the hyaloid artery, glaucoma, and retinal detachment. It might be isolated or associated with congenital syndromes such as trisomy 13, Walker-Warburg syndrome, and Norrie disease. We present 2 cases of persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous diagnosed by prenatal sonography in the early third trimester. Bilateral hyperechoic lenses and retinal nonattachment were detected in the sonographic examination of the first case, whereas irregular echogenic bands between the lenses and posterior walls of the eyes were prominent in the second case. In both of the cases, ocular findings were accompanied by intracranial findings, including severe hydrocephalus, an abnormal gyral pattern, and cerebellar hypoplasia, suggesting the diagnosis of Walker-Warburg syndrome. We also present a review of the literature regarding the prenatal diagnosis of this malformation.

Cleft foot deformity, also known as ectrodactyly, is a rare congenital developmental defect of extremities caused by malformation in continuity of apical ectoderm. The syndrome typically involves malformation or absence of the central rays of the feet and is characterized by deformities like median deep clefts of distal extremities. Routine examination of feet during second-trimester ultrasound (US) may increase the detection rates of foot malformations. Many malformations can be diagnosed with 2-dimensional (2D) US, but 3-dimensional (3D) US also helps better understanding of the foot malformations. In the present study, we report the case of two brothers (a fetus and a 5-year-old) with cleft foot deformity. 2D and 3D second trimester US findings of one case and the foot radiography findings of the other are presented here.

The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive review of the current data surrounding an intrahepatic persistent right umbilical vein in the fetus, including associated anomalies and outcomes, and to assist practitioners in counseling and management of affected pregnancies. We performed a MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Northern Light database search for articles reporting outcomes on prenatally diagnosed cases of a persistent right umbilical vein. Each article was independently reviewed for eligibility by the investigators. Thereafter, the data were extracted and validated independently by 3 investigators. A total of 322 articles were retrieved, and 16 were included in this systematic review. The overall prevalence of an intrahepatic persistent right umbilical vein was found to be 212 per 166,548 (0.13%). Of the 240 cases of an intrahepatic persistent right umbilical vein identified, 183 (76.3%) were isolated. The remaining cases had a coexisting abnormality, including 19 (7.9%) cardiac, 9 (3.8%) central nervous system, 15 (6.3%) genitourinary, 3 (1.3%) genetic, and 17 (7%) placental/cord (predominantly a single umbilical artery). In summary, a persistent right umbilical vein is commonly an isolated finding but may be associated with a coexisting cardiac defect in 8% of cases. Therefore, consideration should be given to fetal echocardiography in cases of a persistent right umbilical vein.