Maternal-fetal medicine – waiting for the first National Congress of Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, Bucharest, 11-13 May 2023

The 11- to 14-week scan means modern pregnancy care. Thus, the first paper of our journal focuses on cases in which the anatomy scan was not performed, and structural and chromosomal anomalies were missed. On the other hand, in the next paper it is presented the case of a fetus diagnosed with anorectal atresia at 12+0 weeks at the first-trimester ultrasound anomalies scan. Anorectal atresia was diagnosed and considered isolated, since further detailed examinations performed in the second and third trimesters found no other anomalies. After birth, at 36 weeks, the diagnosis was confirmed as low anorectal atresia with perineal fistula, and the newborn was scheduled for surgery at 3 months of life.

Fetal atrioventricular heart block (FAVB) is the most commonly observed type of fetal bradycardia, and is potentially life-threatening. This condition occurs when there is a blockage in the electrical pathway between the atria and the ventricles of the heart, which can cause the heart to beat too slow or irregularly. One of our journal’s articles presents some interesting pictures of FAVB in cases associated with autoimmune diseases and, also, some normal recordings in the hope of a better understanding of this condition.

The gynecology section presents the case of a 54-year-old woman with endometrial carcinoma admixed with neuroendocrine tumor. Extensive histological assessments completed with additional immunohistochemical tests are necessary for the diagnosis of this rare entity.

The management of metabolic complications of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) newborns is important due to the major implications in their prognosis and survival. A special interest has been recently given to the concept of cellular modulation in critical periods of development and on the influence in the subsequent occurrence of some diseases.

Moving forward, congenital defects of the kidney and urinary tract occur in the prenatal period and are responsible for 20-30% of all developmental malformations. The purpose of the study presented in our journal is to assess the risk factors for these intrauterine developmental disorders.

Last but not least, the editorial team would like to wish all the readers Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!