Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine whether routine direct visualization of the corpus callosum is achievable during second-trimester sonography when performed by a large group of sonographers in a general second-trimester sonographic screening program. The secondary aim was to determine the time taken to obtain a sagittal corpus callosum image.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of visualization of the corpus callosum before and after intensive training. Images from 150 consecutive second-trimester scans were reviewed before and after training to evaluate the image quality of the corpus callosum.
Results: A total of 300 cases were evaluated before and after training. There was a significant increase in the rate of complete visualization of the corpus callosum after intensive training (P < .0001). Before training 35 of 150 cases (23%) had complete visualization of the corpus callosum versus 107 of 150 (71%) after training. The mean time to perform the corpus callosum views was 53.4 seconds before training compared to 56.2 seconds after training.
Conclusions: Assessing the corpus callosum in the sagittal view is difficult and requires appropriate training and patience; however, this view is feasible without adding substantial time to the examination and provides additional information during a routine second-trimester morphologic scan.
Keywords: callosal dysgenesis; corpus callosum; obstetric ultrasound; screening; sonography; training.
© 2016 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.