Upper neck pouch sign in prenatal diagnosis of esophageal atresia.

Background: Prenatal diagnosis of esophageal atresia is usually based on a suspicion, with the finding of a small or absent stomach in the presence of polyhydramnios. However, this combination has a low positive predictive value, and this uncertainty in prenatal diagnosis confuses the decision making process, and causes an unnecessary parental anxiety. The upper neck pouch sign is a more reliable finding for prenatal diagnosis of esophageal atresia. Despite its usefulness there have been several cases reported until now.

Methods: We diagnosed a new case with congenital esophagus atresia by detecting upper neck pouch sign, and discussed the value of this finding.