Fetal death in utero
Fetal death in utero (FDIU), also known as intrauterine death (IUD), is the term used when the death of a fetus occurs after the 20th week of pregnancy. Prior to this, it is considered a miscarriage.
On this page:
Epidemiology
1% of normal, uncomplicated pregnancies end in fetal death. In ~15% of FDIU, no cause is identified.
Pathology
Etiology
Maternal
- gestational hypertension
- blood group incompatibility
- metabolic disorders
- intrauterine infections
Fetal
- major anomalies
- umbilical cord complications (looping, knotting, twisting, straight cord)
Placental
Radiographic features
Ultrasound
- absent fetal heart beat
- absent fetal movements
- occasional findings
- overlapping of skull bones (Spalding sign)
- gross distortion of fetal anatomy (maceration)
- soft tissue edema: skin >5 mm
- echogenic amniotic fluid fetal demise fragments)
- uncommon findings
- thrombus in fetal heart
- gas shadow in fetal heart (Robert sign)
Related Radiopaedia articles
Ultrasound - obstetric
- ultrasound (introduction)
- obstetric ultrasound
- first trimester and early pregnancy
- ectopic pregnancy
- multiple gestations
- subchorionic hematoma
- failed early pregnancy
-
second trimester
- fetal biometry
- fetal morphology assessment
- fetal echocardiography views
- nonvisualisation of the fetal stomach
-
soft markers
- nuchal fold thickness
- ventriculomegaly
- absent nasal bone
- choroid plexus cysts
- enlarged cisterna magna
- shortened fetal long bones
- echogenic intracardiac focus (EIF)
- echogenic fetal bowel
- aberrant right sublavian artery
- fetal pyelectasis / fetal renal pelvic dilatation
- single umbilical artery
- sandal gap toes
- amnioreduction
- Doppler ultrasound
- nuchal translucency
- 11-13 weeks antenatal scan
- chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and amniocentesis
- placenta
- other
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