Prenatal diagnosis of congenital vascular rings and slings: sonographic features and perinatal outcome in 81 consecutive cases.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the sonographic features and perinatal outcome of congenital vascular rings diagnosed prenatally at a single tertiary care institution.

METHODS: All cases of congenital vascular rings diagnosed by prenatal ultrasound between July 2005 and December 2009 were identified at a single referral center using an established perinatal database. The diagnosis was confirmed by postnatal echocardiography for live-born infants or autopsy for terminated cases.

RESULTS: The overall incidence of vascular ring during this 5-year period was 0.086% (81 cases among 94 321 women undergoing perinatal ultrasound examination). Forty-four cases had complete O-shaped (n = 3) or U-shaped (n = 41) vascular rings, and 37 cases had incomplete C-shaped vascular rings (vascular slings). The most common type of vascular ring seen in 50.6% (41/81) of cases was a right aortic arch with aberrant left subclavian artery. The second most common type was a left aortic arch with an aberrant right subclavian artery [39.5% (32/81)]. Chromosomal analysis was performed prenatally in 46 pregnancies, and six cases (13.0%) of fetal aneuploidy were identified.

CONCLUSIONS: Congenital vascular rings can be diagnosed with prenatal ultrasound using the three-vessel trachea view and subsequent fetal echocardiography with particular attention to the relationship of the aortic arches, ductal arches, and the trachea.