First trimester fetal malformations

Supplement your learning on Ultrasound excellence in Beyond ultrasound: MRI in gynecological imaging

Join us for this engaging and informative course. Together with a panel of expert speakers from around the world, they will dive into the most challenging and evolving aspects of First trimester fetal malformations. This course offers attendees a valuable opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of the new advances in this area and learn how to apply them in practical situations.

Explore the topic before you attend our course

In order to make the most of this learning experience and help you achieve your learning objectives, we have prepared a path to guide you from the essentials to our course’s topics through ISUOG resources. The material below, will take you from the most basics to a more comprehensive view of First trimester fetal malformations, some open to everyone and some available only to ISUOG members –some may even grant you CME points:
Some of these activities are exclusively available to our members. Become a member today.

ISUOG Guidelines

Updated ISUOG Practice Guidelines: Performance of 11-14- week ultrasound scan

Updated ISUOG Practice Guidelines: fetal cardiac screening

Sonographic examination of the fetal central nervous system: part 1

Basic Training

Basic Training - Basics of the early pregnancy scan

Basic Training - Basics of image optimisation

VISUOG

First Trimester Ultrasound of Fetal Brain

The standard examination of the fetal brain includes the transventricular axial plane and the midsagittal one, allowing the evaluation of the main cerebral structures, and head biometric measurements.

Spine

The human spine is a vital and complex structure. With the main function of support for the biped human body, it also has the function of acting as a conduit for neural elements and their connection with the brain.

Heart

Face

Explore chapters relating to the face.

Extremities

Visualization of the limbs is an important part of the comprehensive examination of the fetus and is best accomplished early in the gestation, at the end of the first trimester, or at the morphological examination at 18-20 weeks.

Thorax

The thorax has the function to protect lungs and heart. The most important intrathoracic structures to be evaluated on obstetric ultrasound are the heart, lungs and diaphragm.

Patient Information

Nuchal Translucency (NT)

This leaflet is to help you understand what Nuchal Translucency (NT) is, what tests you need, and the implication of being diagnosed for you, your baby, and your family.

First-trimester Anatomy of the Abdomen

This leaflet is to give you an overview and understand what's involved during the first-trimester ultrasound examination of the fetal abdomen.

Placenta, umbilical cord, amniotic fluid: first trimester

This leaflet is to help you understand what questions to ask about the placenta, umbilical cord, amniotic fluid in the first trimester.

Abdomen

This chapter summarizes the basic embryology and anatomy of the abdominal cavity, retroperitoneum, fetal pelvis, the main vessels of the fetal abdomen; and the ultrasound appearance of the internal organs of the fetal abdominal cavity.

UOG articles

Evaluation of fetal anatomy in the first trimester on a national scale: screening and beyond

L. Sarno, V. De Robertis, A. Dall'Asta

First published: 04 June 2026

Should the future cavum septi pellucidi be assessed during first-trimester fetal brain examination?

B. Melis, P. Macé, Y. Dawood, B. de Bakker, T. Ghi, E. Quarello

First published: 10 March 2026

Undetected cases after implementation of first-trimester anomaly scan in low-risk population: insights from the IMITAS study.

K. Bronsgeest, E. E. R. Lust, S. C. E. Zaaijer, L. Henneman, N. Crombag, C. M. Bilardo, R.-J. H. Galjaard, E. Sikkel, A. K. K. Teunissen, M. N. Bekker, M. C. Haak, Collaborators

First published: 14 November 2025

Early diagnosis of fetal acrania

S. Meagher, S. Christensen, W. Sepulveda, J. Ramkrishna

First published: 26 June 2025

Outcome of fetuses with early increased nuchal translucency: systematic review and meta-analysis.

B. Matarrelli, A. Khalil, M. Bernassola, L. Ranucci, G. Vizzielli, A. Lucidi, S. Prasad, F. D'Antonio

First published: 16 June 2025

Evaluation of first-trimester ultrasound screening strategy for fetal congenital heart disease

S. Yang, G. Qin, G. He, M. Liang, Y. Liang, S. Luo, Z. Yang, Y. Pang, F. Long, Y. Tang

First published: 28 February 2025

Detection of non-cardiac fetal abnormalities on ultrasound at 11–14 weeks: systematic review and meta-analysis

J. N. Karim, D. Di Mascio, N. Roberts, A. T. Papageorghiou, for the ACCEPTS study