OBJECTIVE: To (1) evaluate the normal development of the Sylvian fissures in the anterior coronal view of the fetal brain at 18-30 weeks\' gestation by transvaginal three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound, (2) develop reference ranges of measurements of the right and left Sylvian fissure angles during normal pregnancy at 18-30 weeks\' gestation, and (3) examine intra- and interobserver repeatability of measurements of the right and left Sylvian fissure angles.
METHODS: This was a prospective cross-sectional study of 422 women with a singleton pregnancy attending an ultrasound-based research clinic between March and December 2017. The entry criteria for the study were appropriately grown live fetus with no suspected structural and/or chromosomal defects between 18 + 0 and 30 + 6 weeks\' gestation. Normal development of the Sylvian fissures was assessed in the anterior coronal plane of the fetal brain using transvaginal 3D volume multiplanar imaging. The coronal view was visualized as a single image from the three orthogonal views. Subsequently, the right and left Sylvian fissure angles were measured between a horizontal reference line (0°) and a line drawn along the upper side of the respective Sylvian fissure. Intra- and interobserver repeatability of the Sylvian fissure angle measurements was assessed by Bland-Altman plots. Reference equations were constructed for right and left Sylvian fissure angles for gestational age (GA) and head circumference (HC) using the Generalized Additive Models for Location Scale and Shape package.
RESULTS: In the anterior coronal view of the fetal brain, an inward rotation of the upper portion of the Sylvian fissures was observed during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. There was a significant negative polynomial association between the Sylvian fissure angles and GA and HC. Both Sylvian fissure angles crossed the reference line (zero), going from positive to negative, at around 25 weeks\' gestation or at HC of 22 cm. Z-score difference between the smoothed percentiles of the right and left Sylvian fissure angles indicated that median, 10th and 90th smoothed percentiles were closest and almost the same for the GA-based references between 18 and 28 weeks and for the HC-based references between 14 and 24 cm. The intraclass correlation coefficient of the right and left Sylvian fissure angle measurements between the two sonographers was excellent at 0.993 (95% CI, 0.988-0.996) and 0.991 (95% CI, 0.985-0.995), respectively. On Bland-Altman analysis, the mean difference between the two sonographers in right Sylvian fissure angle measurement was 0.4° (95% CI, -10.2 to 10.1°) and in left Sylvian fissure angle it was 1.0° (95% CI, -9.6 to 11.6°).
CONCLUSIONS: Assessment of the Sylvian fissure angles is highly reproducible. Sylvian fissure angle reference charts can serve as a screening tool for malformations of cortical development, guiding subsequent follow-up and referral for fetal brain magnetic resonance imaging and/or assessment by an expert neurosonologist. Copyright © 2018 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate Sylvian fissure development by assessing Sylvian fissure angles in fetuses with malformation of cortical development (MCD).
METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 22 fetuses with MCD. Cases with a stored three-dimensional (3D) brain volume acquired at 18 + 0 to 30 + 6 weeks of gestation at an ultrasound-based research clinic between January 2010 and December 2017 were identified through a database. Of the 22 fetuses, seven had an extracranial abnormality, such as cardiac, renal, gastrointestinal and/or digital anomalies, and five had a minor abnormality such as micrognathia, low-set ears and/or single umbilical artery. To confirm the final clinical diagnosis of brain abnormality, postmortem histological findings or prenatal or postnatal magnetic resonance images were used. For measurement of Sylvian fissure angle, an anterior coronal plane of the fetal brain on transvaginal 3D volume multiplanar imaging was visualized as a single image from the three orthogonal views. The right and left Sylvian fissure angles were measured between a horizontal reference line (0°) and a line drawn along the upper side of the respective Sylvian fissure. The Sylvian fissure angle on both sides was plotted on the graphs of the reference ranges for gestational age in weeks.
RESULTS: In 21 (95.5%; 95% CI, 86.8-100.0%) of 22 fetuses with MCD, the Sylvian fissure angle on one or both sides was larger than the 90th percentile of the normal reference. There was one case with apparent focal MCD in the parietal lobe, but the Sylvian fissure angles were normal. A case with apparent unilateral cortical dysplasia and one with apparent unilateral schizencephaly had conspicuous discrepancies between the left and right Sylvian fissure angles. Abnormal genetic test results were obtained in six cases, including four cases with a mutation in a single gene.
CONCLUSIONS: This study has shown that the Sylvian fissures, as defined by the Sylvian fissure angle, have delayed development in most MCD cases prior to the diagnosis of the condition. The Sylvian fissure angle may potentially be a strong indicator for the subsequent development of cortical malformation, before the time point at which the gyri and sulci become obvious on the fetal brain surface. Further research is required to validate these findings. © 2018 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

To determine whether the number of coils visualized in the uterotubal junction at the end of hysteroscopic microinsert placement predicts successful tubal occlusion.
Cohort retrospective study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2).
Department of obstetrics and gynecology in a teaching hospital.
One hundred fifty-three women underwent tubal microinsert placement for permanent birth control from 2010 through 2014. The local institutional review board approved this study.
Three-dimensional transvaginal ultrasound (3D TVU) was routinely performed 3 months after hysteroscopic microinsert placement to check position in the fallopian tube.
The correlation between the number of coils visible at the uterotubal junction at the end of the hysteroscopic microinsert placement procedure and the device position on the 3-month follow-up 3D TVU in 141 patients was evaluated. The analysis included 276 microinserts placed during hysteroscopy. The median number of coils visible after the hysteroscopic procedure was 4 (interquartile range, 3-5). Devices for 30 patients (21.3%) were incorrectly positioned according to the 3-month follow-up 3D TVU, and hysterosalpingography was recommended. In those patients the median number of coils was in both the right (interquartile range, 2-4) and left (interquartile range, 1-3) uterotubal junctions. The number of coils visible at the uterotubal junction at the end of the placement procedure was the only factor that predicted whether the microinsert was well positioned at the 3-month 3D TVU confirmation (odds ratio, .44; 95% confidence interval, .28-.63). When 5 or more coils were visible, no incorrectly placed microinsert could be seen on the follow-up 3D TVU; the negative predictive value was 100%. No pregnancies were reported.
The number of coils observed at the uterotubal junction at the time of microinsert placement should be considered a significant predictive factor of accurate and successful microinsert placement.

OBJECTIVE: To assess diagnostic accuracy of 3D transvaginal ultrasound (3D-TVS) compared with hysteroscopy in detecting uterine cavity abnormalities in infertile women.
METHODS: This prospective observational cross-sectional study was conducted during the July 2013 to December 2013 study period. Sixty-nine women with infertility were enrolled. In the mid to late follicular phase of each subject\'s menstrual cycle, 3D transvaginal ultrasound and hysteroscopy were performed on the same day in each patient. Hysteroscopy is widely considered to be the gold standard method for investigation of the uterine cavity. Uterine cavity characteristics and abnormalities were recorded. Diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and positive and negative likelihood ratios were evaluated.
RESULTS: Hysteroscopy was successfully performed in all subjects. Hysteroscopy diagnosed pathological findings in 22 of 69 cases (31.8%). There were 18 endometrial polyps, 3 submucous myomas, and 1 septate uterus. Three-dimensional transvaginal ultrasound in comparison with hysteroscopy had 84.1% diagnostic accuracy, 68.2% sensitivity, 91.5% specificity, 79% positive predictive value, and 86% negative predictive value. The positive and negative likelihood ratios were 8.01 and 0.3, respectively. 3D-TVS successfully detected every case of submucous myoma and uterine anomaly. For detection of endometrial polyps, 3D-TVS had 61.1% sensitivity, 91.5% specificity, and 83.1% diagnostic accuracy.
CONCLUSIONS: 3D-TVS demonstrated 84.1% diagnostic accuracy for detecting uterine cavity abnormalities in infertile women. A significant percentage of infertile patients had evidence of uterine cavity pathology. Hysteroscopy is, therefore, recommended for accurate detection and diagnosis of uterine cavity lesion.

OBJECTIVE: A very good knowledge of human embryology is mandatory not only for the correct sonographic assessment of the developing brain, but also for better understanding the origins of congenital anomalies involving the central nervous system. 3D transvaginal sonography may be an effective technique for imaging the developing brain. The aims of this explorative study are to demonstrate the feasibility of imaging the embryonic brain between 7 and 10 weeks of gestation for clinical studies by using a 3D high-frequency vaginal ultrasound transducer and to provide a reference for the morphology of the brain in the embryonic period.
METHODS: Four embryos of 9 mm, 17 mm, 23 mm and 31 mm crown-rump length respectively were assessed in vivo by transvaginal sonography. We gave a special attention to the embryonic brain. All patients were examined with a Voluson E10, BT 15 ultrasound scanner (GE Healthcare, Zipf, Austria), using a high-frequency 6-12 MHz/ 256-element 3D/4D transvaginal transducer. Three-dimensional sonography was performed routinely as the patients were scanned. The multiplanar display was used after selecting the best volume. The Omni view® software was used for digitally slicing the selected volumes.
RESULTS: We describe the morphological details of the developing brains of four embryos ranging from 7 to 10 gestational weeks. In the human embryo 9 mm CRL the hypoechogenic cavities of the three primary vesicles (prosencephalon, mesencephalon, rhombencephalon) could be observed on a sagittal section. In the human embryo 17 mm CRL the prosencephalon was divided into the median diencephalon and two telencephalic vesicles, which were partially separated by the falx cerebri. In the human embryo 23 mm CRL the cerebral hemispheres developed and they were completely separated by the falx cerebri. The choroid plexus was evident inside the lateral ventricles and the fourth ventricle. In the human embryo 31 mm CRL the ventral thalamus was evident, and the ganglionic eminence, as the precursor of the basal ganglia, was well seen on the floor of the cerebral hemispheres.
CONCLUSIONS: Studies of embryology are still needed for a complete understanding of the developing brain. 3D sonography using a high-frequency vaginal ultrasound transducer is feasible for imaging the embryonic brain with an acceptable quality for clinical studies.