A reminder of peristalsis as a useful tool in the prenatal differential diagnosis of abdominal cystic masses

With routine antenatal ultrasound and recent advances in ultrasound technology, fetal intraabdominal cystic masses are recognized more often and are better characterized than in the past. They may be classified as solid and cystic, and may originate from multiple structures. When considering the extensive differential diagnosis of cystic masses, the observation of peristalsis narrows the possibilities to the gastrointestinal tract. To find this feature on ultrasound, the examiner must expressly think and look for it, otherwise it may be missed. Our case report illustrates one of those cases.