What is the purpose of evaluating the fetal lips on Ultrasound?
Evaluation of the fetal lips at the time of routine second trimester US can detect a cleft lip, the most common facial anomaly. A cleft lip can be unilateral or bilateral and is associated with a cleft palate in up to 80% of cases. Cleft lip and palate can be isolated or associated with trisomy 13 or 18, amniotic bands, or a limb-body-wall complex, all of which carry a poor prognosis for the fetus.