SMFM's 42nd Annual Pregnancy Meeting

Working together for the global advancement of safe and healthy pregnancies

January 31 - February 5, 2022

The Completely Un-Routine: Rare Fetal and Maternal Diseases

Feb. 1, 2022 8am - 5pm

Course Directors:
Christina Han, MD
Loralei Thornburg, MD

Course Faculty:
Yalda Afshar, MD, PhD
Erin Bailey, MD
Emad Elsamadicy, MD
Braxton Forde, MD
Cornelia Graves, MD
Andrea Greiner, MD
Jacqueline Hairston, MD
Sumithra Jeganathan, MD
Adina Kern-Goldberger, MD, MPH
Mary Christine Livergood, MD
Jennifer McIntosh, DO, MS
Ana Monteagudo, MD
Michael Richley, MD
Teresa Sparks, MD
Geeta Swamy, MD
Travis Watterson, MD

Course Description:
February is annual “rare disease” month, and uses the zebra as its symbol. While most of these diseases affect only 200,000 people or less in the United States, together these 6000 rare diseases affect almost 30 million Americans. No one sees and cares for more heterogeneous and complex rare maternal and fetal disease in pregnancy than MFM physicians. While it is critical to review and discuss the more common, life-threatening conditions in pregnancy, this course aims to provide structured content and discussion around maternal and fetal diagnostic and care dilemmas for when the truly “unroutine” is encountered.   On the maternal side, most MFMs will be asked to consult and provide input on care for pregnancy care for women with rare diseases during their careers, often with limited data. This course discusses management of rare syndromes and disorders in pregnancy, those with limited data that are rarely seen, but present complex management issues. The best data for management is discussed, as well as the importance of working in a multidisciplinary team for management of these disorders.   On the fetal side, all MFMs will be faced with fetuses with complex fetal anomalies and be asked in real time to provide assessment of findings, differential diagnosis, and prognostication of outcomes. MFMs must understand the embryologic origins of these diseases to allow for determining affected co-structures. Further, many of these complex syndromes can have gestational evolution- with changes in findings through gestation making it imperative for MFMs to understand the embryologic and physiologic changes in the imaging of these syndromes through gestation.

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand rare diseases: Understand approach to patient with rare maternal and fetal diseases with limited data during pregnancy; Understand the intersection of embryologic structures resulting in patterns of anomalies. 
  • Improve diagnostic skills: Review images and findings for complex anomaly syndromes, including imaging pearls; Describe the approach to complex fetal anomaly evaluation and management. 
  • Optimize management: Develop care plans for rare disease management in pregnancy by a multidisciplinary care team; Apply newly acquired knowledge to curated case presentations. .
  • Expand resources: Discuss available resources for rare diseases, nomograms, registries, and medication safety resources.   

Course Schedule (All times Eastern Standard Time):
7:55 AM 8:00 AM Course and faculty introductions Han, Thornburg
8:00 AM 8:30 AM Collagen disorders Thornburg
8:30 AM 9:00 AM Vascular & inflammatory disorders McIntosh
9:00 AM 9:30 AM Endocrine disorders Han
9:30 AM 9:45 AM Fellow Case #1: Can’t stop the clot Livergood
9:45 AM 10:00 AM Fellow Case #2: Case of the Syncopizing Patient Elsmadicy
10:30 AM 11:00 AM Rare Maternal Pulmonary Disorders Graves
11:00 AM 11:30 AM Emerging infectious diseases Swamy
11:30 AM 11:45 AM Fellow Case #3: What ticks off platelets Jeganathan
11:45 AM 12:00 PM Fellow Case #4: The case of the mysterious 02 desaturation Kern-Goldberger
1:00 PM 1:30 PM Rare Causes of Fetal hydrops Sparks
1:30 PM 2:00 PM Rare Heart Anomolies Afshar
2:00 PM 2:30 PM Fetal brain anomalies Monteagudo
2:30 PM 2:45 PM Fellow Case #5: Unbreak my heart - post laser complications Forde
2:45 PM 3:00 PM Fellow Case #6: Hydrops: Connecting the Mind and the Heart Richley
3:30 PM 4:00 PM Role of fetal MRI in diagnoses of rare fetal disorders Watterson
4:00 PM 4:30 PM Placental abnormalities Greiner
4:30 PM 4:45 PM Fellow Case #7: Be aware of the tectum Bailey
4:45 PM 5:00 PM Fellow Case #8: Sonic and the Seizures: The Case of the Shrinking Cerebellum Hairston

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint providership of Global Learning Collaborative (GLC) and SMFM. GLC is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Global Learning Collaborative designates this enduring material for a maximum of 7 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.


Price: $685.00