The fetal neurologist: Strategies to improve training, practice, and clinical care

Abstract

Fetal neurology addresses counselling parents on the clinical significance of brain anomalies encountered in their fetus, including disruptive lesions (i.e. stroke, periventricular haemorrhagic infarction, and infection), and genetically based cortical (i.e. hemimegalencephaly, lissencephaly, cobblestone malformation, polymicrogyria, heterotopia) or posterior fossa anomalies (i.e. cerebellar agenesis and hypoplasia, rhombencephalosynapsis, Dandy–Walker syndrome, mega cisterna magna, Blake's pouch cyst). Unlike paediatric neurologists, fetal neurologists cannot examine the infant directly so they diagnose and prognosticate using imaging and other diagnostic studies. The integration of fetal neurologists into fetal multidisciplinary teams is essential for providing expert counselling and cohesive care. This review emphasizes the need for specialized training, multidisciplinary collaboration, and the development of comprehensive service designs to ensure consistent and effective care for families. Additionally, it emphasizes the critical role of fetal neurologists in identifying brain anomalies early and providing thorough counselling to parents, helping them to understand the prognosis, potential interventions, and long-term outcomes for their unborn child.