BackgroundGiant placental chorioangiomas have been associated with a number of severe fetal complications and high perinatal mortality.Case presentationWe report a case of giant chorioangioma with fetal hydrops, additionally complicated by severe anemia, mild cardiomegaly with hyperdinamic heart circulation and maternal mirror syndrome. Intrauterine blood transfusion and amniodrainage was performed at 29 weeks. Worsening of the fetal and maternal condition prompted us to proceed with delivery at 29 + 5 weeks. The newborn died 3 hours later due to pulmonary hypoplasia and hemodynamic failure. Maternal course was favourable, mirror syndrome resolved in the second day and the patient was discharged four days following delivery.ConclusionsIn the case described here, fetal condition got worse despite of the anemia correction and amniodrainage. Our outcome raises the issue whether additional intrauterine clinical intervention, as intersticial laser, should have been performed to stop further deterioration of the fetal condition when progressive severe hydrops develops.

Artificial Intelligence has been widely applied to a majority of research areas, including health and medicine. Certain complications or disorders that can appear during pregnancy can endanger the life of both mother and fetus. There is enough scientific literature to support the idea that emotional aspects can be a relevant risk factor in pregnancy (such as anxiety, stress or depression, for instance). This paper presents a scoping review of the scientific literature from the past 12 years (2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020) to identify which methodologies, techniques, algorithms and frameworks are used in Artificial Intelligence and Affective Computing for pregnancy health and well-being. The methodology proposed by Arksey and O'Malley, in conjunction with PRISMA-ScR framework has been used to create this review. Despite the relevance that emotional status can have as a risk factor during pregnancy, one of the main findings of this study is that there is still not a significant amount of literature on automatic analysis of emotion. Health enhancement and well-being for pregnant women can be achieved with artificial intelligence or affective computing based devices, hence future work on this topic is strongly suggested.

A case of prenatally diagnosed fetal hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is reported. The mother was referred to our department at 37 weeks' gestation because of suspected congenital heart disease. Prenatal echocardiography showed biventricular hypertrophy and pericardial effusion, without additional abnormalities. Postnatal echocardiography confirmed prenatal diagnosis. Neonatal EKG showed biventricular hypertrophy and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Skeletal muscle biopsy was consistent with mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation defect involving a combined defect of respiratory complexes I and IV. Echocardiographic followup during the first year of life showed progressive regression of hypertrophy and evolution to left ventricular myocardial noncompaction.

BackgroundIndications for the ex utero intrapartum therapy (EXIT) procedure have evolved and nowadays in addition to secure the airway, obtain vascular access, administer surfactant and other resuscitation medications, EXIT is used to resect cervical or thoracic masses, for extracorporeal membrane circulation (ECMO) cannulation, as well as to rescue maximum intra-thoracic space for ventilation of the remaining functional lung tissue or in cases in which resuscitation of the neonate may be compromised. EXIT procedure in twin pregnancy has been rarely reported and some doubts have been raised about its strategy and safety in such cases.MethodsWe reviewed the medical records of 3 twin pregnancy cases where the EXIT procedure have been performed in our center.ResultsThe mean gestational age at EXIT procedure was 34 + 4 weeks. In two out the three EXIT procedures, the affected twin was delivered first. The average time on placental bypass was 9 minutes. There were no fetal or maternal complications related to the EXIT procedure. All newborns are currently doing well.ConclusionIn twin pregnancies, prenatal diagnosis combined with the EXIT procedure permits the formulation of a controlled delivery strategy to secure both newborns outcome. In those pregnancies, if intervention can be accomplished without compromise of the normal twin, EXIT can be considered. Our results support that EXIT procedure, if properly planned, safely provides a good outcome for both the fetuses as well as the mother.

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Septal agenesis is a rare cerebral developmental anomaly characterized by partial or complete absence of the septum pellucidum (ASP). Septal agenesis may be associated with various congenital brain malformations, namely holoprosencephaly, septooptic dysplasia (SOD), schizencephaly or agenesis of the corpus callosum. Current imaging technologies do not enable differentiation in utero between isolated ASP and SOD. This is due to the fact that optic nerve hypoplasia and endocrine anomalies are never ruled out completely. We report a case of prenatal diagnosis of isolated ASP based on 2D and 3D ultrasound and fetal MRI. Postnatal MRI confirmed prenatal findings and the boy is currently doing well at 18 months of age.

Hemimegalencephaly (HME) is a developmental abnormality of the central nervous system (CNS) which may present as either a syndromic or isolated case. Here, we present two cases of early prenatal diagnosis of HME. Prenatal CNS ultrasound and MRI in the first case revealed ventricular asymmetry, midline shift with displacement of the occipital lobe across the midline, large dilatation mainly at the posterior horn of the left lateral ventricle, and a head circumference in the 90th percentile without involvement of the brain stem and cerebellum, as well as abdominal lymphangioma. Right hemispherectomy was performed at 3 months of age due to intractable seizures. The pathological specimen showed findings characteristic of HME, including a disorganized cytoarchitecture with lack of neuronal lamination, focal areas of polymicrogyria, and neuronal heterotopias with dysplastic cells. In the second case, 2D and 3D neurosonography demonstrated similar findings (asymmetry of cerebral hemispheres, midline shift, and dilation of the posterior horn of the left lateral cerebral ventricle). Posterior fossa structures were unremarkable. HME was diagnosed and the pregnancy was terminated. Autopsy findings confirmed the diagnosis of HME.

A case of prenatally diagnosed aortopulmonary window is reported. The mother was referred for fetal echocardiography at 26 weeks’ gestation because of suspected congenital heart disease. Prenatal echocardiography showed an aortopulmonary septum defect close to the pulmonary artery bifurcation and a left-to-right shunt flow in systole and early diastole detected by color flow Doppler. Postnatal echocardiography confirmed prenatal diagnosis, the aortopulmonary window was a 9-mm type III aortopulmonary window. An atrial septal defect with shunt flow left to right was also found. Surgical repair was performed 4 weeks after birth, the postsurgical period was uneventful and the newborn was discharged without complications 7 days after surgery.