Key terms
Amniocentesis - Invasive test of pregnancy
Anomaly - Anything unusual or irregular or contrary to the general rules
Antenatal or antepartum - Before birth
Atresia - Congenital absence or pathologic closing of a normal opening, passage, or cavity
Atypical - Unusual or abnormal
Benign - Not cancerous or problematic
Bilateral - Both sides
Chorionic villus sampling - Invasive genetic test of pregnancy
Congenital - Born with or existing since birth
Consultation - Evaluation and discussion of a medical problem
Cyst - Liquid-filled structure
Exit procedure - Surgery at delivery to allow life outside mother
Fetal - Pertaining to baby before birth
Fistula - Abnormal opening or connection
Hernia - Protrusion of organ through wall meant to contain it
Hypoplastic - Incompletely developed or defectively formed
Imaging - Laboratory study producing a picture
Imperforate - Lacking a hole where one belongs
Inherited - Passed on genetically from parent(s)
Karyotype - Chromosome makeup
Level 3 nursery - Nursery with the highest level of sophistication
Malignant - Cancerous
Mass - Solid structure, tumor
Maternal fetal medicine doctor — High-risk obstetrician (also, a perinatologist)Minimally invasive surgery - surgery using thin instruments and telescope inserted through the skin rather than a large incision
MRI - Picture of internal structures using magnetic resonance to image
Multidisciplinary - Involving several medical specialties
Neonatal - At and just after the time of birth
Neonatologist - Doctor working in the N.I.C.U.
N.I.C.U. - Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Pathologic - Diseased or resulting from disease
Prenatal - Before birth
Recurrent - Coming back again
Reflux - Abnormal backward flow of a liquid
Syndrome - A collection of problems related to a single disease cause
Transport - Transfer baby by ambulance or helicopter to hospital
Ultrasound / Sonogram / Echo Study - Picture made of internal structures using reflected sound waves
Unilateral - Only on one side