Fetal Meconium Peritonitis: A Clinical Study of Nine Cases

OBJECTIVE: To explore the prenatal ultrasonographic characteristics and pregnancy outcomes of fetal meconium peritonitis (FMP). METHODS: Nine patients diagnosed with FMP by routine prenatal examination between January 2015 and December 2020 were identified. Both prenatal ultrasonographic characteristics and pregnancy outcomes associated with these patients were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The mean gestational age at the time of FMP diagnosis was 31.3 ± 4.8 weeks, and the mean gestational age of delivery was 35.1 ± 5.1 weeks. Prenatal ultrasonographic findings at the time of diagnosis in these patients included intestinal dilatation (9/9, 100%), intraperitoneal calcification (8/9, 88.9%), fetal ascites (5/9, 55.6%), intraperitoneal pseudocyst (5/9, 55.6%), and polyhydramnios (6/9, 66.7%). Analyses of the etiological basis for meconium peritonitis in 5 of the 8 live births that underwent surgical treatment revealed 4 cases of congenital volvulus and 1 case of jejunal atresia. CONCLUSION: The prenatal ultrasound manifestations of fetal meconium peritonitis are diverse, and the different grades of prenatal ultrasound manifestations can provide important information for the treatment of perinatal infants.