Prenatal and postnatal characteristics of fetal abdominal cysts and the role of prenatal ultrasonography

OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the prenatal characteristics and postnatal outcomes of fetal abdominal cysts and evaluates the diagnostic performance of prenatal ultrasonography (US). METHODS: All cases of fetal abdominal cystic lesions followed up in our center between 2020 and 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. Cysts of urinary system origin and major complex multiple organ anomaly cases were excluded. Cysts were divided into subgroups according to prenatal diagnosis. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, false positive rate, and accuracy of prenatal US were calculated for each subgroup. RESULTS: A total of 86 cases were included in the study. The majority of cases diagnosed by prenatal ultrasonography were of ovarian origin (39.5%), followed by duplication cysts (16.2%) and choledochal cysts (11.6%). Five cases resulted in termination of pregnancy, and two cases resulted in intrauterine fetal death. After delivery, 25.3% of cases required surgical intervention. When comparing prenatal and postnatal diagnoses, the overall sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of prenatal ultrasonography were 98.61%, 98.44%, and 98.44%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Prenatal diagnosis of fetal abdominal cysts is important for appropriate management and counseling. The etiology of cysts can be accurately diagnosed by prenatal ultrasonography in approximately 85% of cases.