Check the Head: Emergency Ultrasound Diagnosis of Fetal Anencephaly.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Early pregnancy complaints in emergency medicine are common. Emergency physicians (EP) increasingly employ ultrasound (US) in the evaluation of these complaints. As a result, it is likely that rare and important diagnoses will be encountered. We report a case of fetal anencephaly diagnosed by bedside emergency US in a patient presenting with first-trimester vaginal bleeding.

Case report

A 33-year-old patient at 10 weeks gestation presented with vaginal bleeding. After initial history and physical examination, a bedside US was performed. The EP noted the abnormal appearance of the fetal cranium and anencephaly was suspected. This finding was confirmed by a consultative high-resolution fetal US. Making the diagnosis at the point of care allowed earlier detection and

SUBMITTER: Hall JW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4944803 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature