EP06.37: Three‐dimensional colour Doppler ultrasound of a fetal intra‐abdominal umbilical vein varix diagnosed at third trimester scan

A 37-year-old G3P1 woman with previous ultrasound scans resulted normal, was referred to our centre at 28 weeks' gestation. The ultrasound scan showed the presence of an anechogenic oval intra-abdominal mass of 20mm of average diameter, located near the abdominal wall and slightly cranial to umbilical cord insertion. Colour Doppler demonstrated the continuity with the umbilical vein (UV) and showed an internal turbulent blood, confirmed with Pulsed wave Doppler. The diagnosis of isolated fetal intra-abdominal umbilical vein varix (FIUVV) was made. Three-dimensional reconstruction using glass body render mode (GE Healthcare, Zipf, Austria) which combines the visualisation of grey-scale structures with Doppler images was performed and demonstrated the FIUVV, its continuity with the UV and the normal anatomy of the subdiaphragmatic venous structures (see figure 1). The full colour Doppler filling of the varix allowed the exclusion of intravarix thrombosis, which is one of the most dangerous complications. A minimal decrease in size of the mass was detected during pregnancy. The patient underwent induction of labour at 38 weeks' gestation and a healthy male was delivered without any complications. The baby is now 9 months old and is asymptomatic. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.