Systematic Reviews
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Orthop. Mar 18, 2023; 14(3): 155-165
Published online Mar 18, 2023. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v14.i3.155
Prenatal radiographic evaluation of congenital transverse limb deficiencies: A scoping review
Neeraj Vij, Luis F Goncalves, Aaron Llanes, Sean Youn, Mohan V Belthur
Neeraj Vij, Mohan V Belthur, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Phoenix, AZ 85016, United States
Luis F Goncalves, Department of Radiology, Phoenix Children's Hospital, Phoenix, AZ 85016, United States
Aaron Llanes, Sean Youn, Department of Orthopedics, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ 85004, United States
Author contributions: Vij N, Belthur M, Llanes A, Youn S, Goncalves LF contributed equally to his work. Vij N, Belthur M, Goncalves LF designed research. Vij N, Belthur M, Llanes A, Youn S, Goncalves LF performed research. Vij N, Belthur M, Llanes A, Youn S, Goncalves LF contributed to the analytic tools. Vij N, Belthur M, Llanes A, Youn S, Goncalves LF analyzed data. Vij N, Belthur M, Llanes A, Youn S, Goncalves LF wrote the paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: None of the authors have any conflicts of interest.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Neeraj Vij, BSc, Research Fellow, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Phoenix, AZ 85016, United States. neerajvij@email.arizona.edu
Received: November 20, 2022
Peer-review started: November 20, 2022
First decision: January 9, 2023
Revised: January 18, 2023
Accepted: February 17, 2023
Article in press: February 17, 2023
Published online: March 18, 2023
Processing time: 117 Days and 12.2 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Congenital transverse deficiencies are horizontal deficiencies of the long bones that occur with a reported incidence as high 0.38%. They can occur alone or represent a manifestation of a various clinical syndromes. Diagnosis has traditionally comprised of conventional radiography and prenatal imaging studies. There has been much advancement regarding prenatal imaging modalities to allow for early diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

AIM

To summarize the current state of knowledge on congenital transverse limb deficiencies and to provide an update regarding the radiographic evaluation of congenital transverse limb deficiencies.

METHODS

This IRB-exempt scoping review followed the PRISMA-ScR checklist for scoping reviews strictly. Five search engines were searched for a total of 265 publications. Four authors reviewed these during the screening process. Of these, 51 studies were included in our article. Prenatal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), 3D Ultrasound, and multidetector Computed tomography (CT) exist are emerging modalities that have the potential to improve diagnosis.

RESULTS

Use of the appropriate classification system, three-dimensional ultrasonography with a maximum intensity projection, and appropriate use of prenatal MRI and prenatal CT can improve diagnosis and inter-provider communication.

CONCLUSION

Further scholarly efforts are required to develop improve standardized guidelines regarding the pre-natal radiographic evaluation of congenital limb deficiencies.

Keywords: Terminal deficiencies; Roentgenographic evaluation; Pediatric skeletal deficiencies; Early diagnosis; Patient-centered care; Prenatal imaging

Core Tip: Early diagnosis can lead to early, appropriate, family-centered care strategies with the current literature supporting both non-operative and surgical management.