Diagnosing
As soon as CDH is picked up on a prenatal ultrasound scan, a perinatal specialist practitioner, with experience in the ultrasound evaluation of CDH, will measure the size of the lung in the chest cavity. If your baby has left-sided CDH, the right lung will be measured – the left lung is compressed by the displaced abdominal organs, and therefore it cannot be visualized on the scan. Your baby’s prognosis will be determined using two parameters: LHR (lung to head ratio) and o/e LHR (observed/expected lung to head ratio). If LHR < 1.0 or o/e LHR < 25%, severe CDH with a very serious prognosis is diagnosed.