Experiences and results of the KANET test application in clinical practice in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

Background: Antenatal neurodevelopmental test (KANET) is a test based on prenatal assessment of the fetal behavior followed by four-dimensional (4D) sonography. The estimation of the fetal behavior has provided a promising ability to understand the hidden function of the fetal nervous system developmental pathway. The test was named after the first author_ Kurjak antenatal neurodevelopmental test (KANET). Materials and methods: The KANET test was administered to 141 pregnant women in single pregnancy between the 28th and the 38th weeks of pregnancy. The fetal behavior was assessed using 4D ultrasound. Results: The 3D/4D ultrasound allowed the study of the fetal behavior which directly reflects the development and maturation processes of the central nervous system (CNS) of the fetus, the distinction between normal and abnormal brain development as well as prenatal neurological damage diagnosis. From 141 patients, 69% patients had a normal KANET score, 27% had borderline KANET score, and only 4% had abnormal KANET score. The results of the KANET screening showed that only high-risk pregnancies with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and diabetes mellitus type I showed abnormal results for 5 patients (41%). Conclusion: This is a method that has been applied over the past 10 years and studies show that it is a powerful diagnostic tool and can be introduced into everyday clinical practice. The KANET test is able to evaluate the fetal neuroanatomy and detect neurological disorders based on the fetal behavior assessment using 4D ultrasound in the same way that the newborn is assessed postnatal.