Diagnostic Potential of Complementation of MRI to Prenatal Ultrasound for Detecting Orofacial Clefts in High-Risk Fetuses: A Network Meta-Analysis.

This article focuses on comparing the diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) complemented with prenatal ultrasound (US) versus prenatal US alone in detecting orofacial clefts in high-risk fetuses. A network meta-analysis of 13 studies involving 776 patients found that overall diagnostic performance between the two methods was comparable; however, MRI combined with US demonstrated significantly higher specificity in detecting isolated cleft palate (CP) compared to US alone. No significant differences were observed for isolated cleft lip (CL) or cleft lip and palate (CLP). The findings suggest that while US remains suitable for routine prenatal screening due to its accessibility and cost-effectiveness, MRI should be considered as an adjunct when cleft palate diagnosis is uncertain or suboptimal after ultrasound evaluation.