Rezumat: Fetal intestinal volvulus is a rare life-threatening condition
with variable degrees of gravity and survival. In this
article
we are presenting a review of pathogenesis and
current
diagnosis of fetal volvulus, starting from the case
of a preterm newborn with ascites who was incidentally
diagnosed
by ultrasound at the Emergency Department
of Bucharest University Emergency Hospital, when a
35-week-pregnant patient arrived for uterine contractions
and vaginal bleeding. The infant was born subsequently
via urgent caesarean and underwent emergency exploratory
laparotomy with small bowel resection. Late pregnancy
manifestations of fetal pathologies contribute to
a high rate of morbidity and mortality, and because of
that we recommend that the third-trimester ultrasound
performed between 32 and 34 weeks of amenorrhea
should be routinely done, including a thorough
assessment of all the organs, including the fetal bowel. Cuvinte cheie: fetal volvulus, meconium peritonitis, ultrasound.