Advanced Fetal Neurology

Course address

Dr. Elisenda Eixarch and Dr. Eduard Gratacós

Aimed at
Physicians specializing in Gynecology and Obstetrics.

Course objectives

The content of this course aims to provide the theoretical and practical knowledge of ultrasound and MRI of the fetal CNS to ensure its proper use, avoid self-taught training outside the established clinical protocols, define the real expectations of the technique and improve the detection rate of abnormalities. With this course we aim to enable the student to:1. Understand the anatomy and embryological development of the Central Nervous System.2. Understand the functions of the different structures in the short and long term neurodevelopment.3. To understand and know how to apply the methodology of basic ultrasound examination and detailed neurosonography.4. To explain the criteria and parameters to establish the normality of the fetal CNS according to current criteria and evidence.5. To understand the most frequent anomalies and the key points to detect them.6. To explain the protocols for monitoring and management throughout gestation.7. To know the applications and usefulness of MRI in those situations in which its use is already standard practice.8. To explain the estimation of the prognosis of the different anomalies detected prenatally and the different options.9. To present the contribution of 3D ultrasound. At the end of the course the participant should be able to:1. Perform the basic exploration of the fetal CNS in relation to gestational age.2. Establish the indications for detailed neurosonography.3. Establish the indications for genetic diagnostic techniques.4. Establish the indications and optimal gestational age for MRI.5. Assess the results of detailed NSG.6. Immediate application of established clinical protocols.

Methodology
Audiovisual theoretical exposition of the different topics of the program with downloadable videos and PDF presentations. Students have unlimited access to the videos as long as the course is published on the campus, regardless of whether they have already passed or not. The presentation of the topics follows a homogeneous model centered on clinical cases with an abundance of video clips that facilitate the understanding of the most important aspects of the different anomalies and the key points of differential diagnosis from a clinical point of view. To facilitate management in clinical practice, algorithms are included that take into account attention to complementary tests.

Faculty
The faculty is made up of medical staff from the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Service of the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona.

Evaluation

The exposition of the topics will be structured on the basis of problem solving through the essential theoretical content. The development of each topic will be done following a clinical outline and with the use of images and videos. At the end of the presentations, the student can obtain a certificate of having completed the theoretical training and passed the knowledge acquisition test. Once the knowledge has been acquired and in order to obtain the certificate, a multiple-choice test must be taken. For the validation test you have 5 attempts and must answer 70% of the answers correctly. Each time you enter the exam, even if you do not answer any question, it counts as an attempt.