Description

By Kermit J. Jones MD

Built for sonographers, obstetric imaging clinicians, radiology teams, and maternal-fetal medicine workflows, this reference connects fetal developmental anatomy, sonographic technique, biometric standards, Doppler physiology, and reporting discipline to the decisions made at the workstation. It moves from early pregnancy assessment and trimester-based screening through organ-system anomaly recognition, fetal cardiac imaging, placental and cord evaluation, multiple gestation complications, genetic clustering, fetal MRI escalation, and standardized report language.

The book’s recurring Fetal Finding-to-Diagnosis Atlas gives readers a finding-first method for moving from what appears on the screen to the differential, escalation threshold, and reportable next step.

• Recognize normal fetal development by trimester — so anatomy, dating, early markers, and referral triggers are interpreted in gestational-age context.

• Acquire and interpret standard biometry planes — linking CRL, BPD, HC, AC, FL, growth percentiles, and interval change to fetal growth assessment.

• Sort fetal anomalies by organ system — including CNS, face and neck, thorax, abdomen, renal/GU, skeletal, and musculoskeletal findings.

• Screen the fetal heart systematically — using four-chamber, outflow tract, three-vessel, arch, rhythm, and functional findings to determine fetal echo referral.

• Decode Doppler findings — connecting umbilical artery, MCA, ductus venosus, and uterine artery waveforms to placental resistance, fetal anemia, and hemodynamic compromise.

• Identify placental, cord, membrane, and fluid patterns — including accreta-spectrum clues, vasa previa, abnormal cord insertion, oligohydramnios, and polyhydramnios.

• Recognize high-risk clusters — from monochorionic twin complications to genetic syndrome patterns and multisystem anomaly combinations.

• Escalate and report with precision — using structured language for MRI referral, urgent findings, incomplete anatomy, and standardized practice.