J Genet Med.  2018 Jun;15(1):1-7. 10.5734/JGM.2018.15.1.1.

Clinical significance of sonographic soft markers: A review

• Kim MS
• Kang S
• Cho HY

• KMID: 2435964
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5734/JGM.2018.15.1.1

Abstract

Sonographic findings with little or no pathological significance, known as soft markers, are often found in aneuploidy fetuses. After normal screening for the aneuploidy in first trimester, there are no uniform recommendations regarding when to disregard or put on clinical significance in isolated soft markers. Associations between some soft markers and adverse pregnancy outcomes including intrauterine fetal death, preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, and congenital infection have been reported in euploidy fetuses. The present article aims to review recent literatures about the clinical significance of soft markers after normal first trimester combined screening or noninvasive prenatal testing, and propose a simple clinical summary for management of specific soft markers in pregnancies.

Keyword

Aneuploidy; Ultrasonography

MeSH Terms

Aneuploidy
Clothing
Female
Fetal Death
Fetal Development
Fetus
Humans
Mass Screening
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Outcome
Pregnancy Trimester, First
Premature Birth
Ultrasonography*