Answer to the case of the week #235

January 15, 2009 - January 29, 2009

Elena Andreeva, MD.

Gomel medical genetic center, Belarus.

Case report

A 29-year-old (G3P1) woman, with non contributive history, presented to our department at 12 weeks of her pregnancy. Our ultrasound revealed a severe abnormality of the fetus. The head of the fetus lay separately from the trunk and some amniotic bands were attached to the head. The diagnosis of the amniotic band syndrome causing the complete decapitation of the fetal head was postulated.

Images 1, 2: The images show decapitated trunk of the fetus.

  

Images 3, 4: The images show slightly deformed fetal skull without any blood circulation (Image 4).

 

Images 5, 6: The images shows amniotic bands attached to the fetus.

 

Images 7, 8, 9, and 10: 3D images show the decapitated head of the fetus lying next to the fetal trunk.

 

 

Videos 1, 2, 3: The images show decapitated fetus due to the amniotic bands syndrome.

 

There are 2 similar cases that have been reported:

1) Shipp TD, Genest D, Benacerraf BR. A case of fetal decapitation. J Ultrasound Med 1996 Jul;15(7):535-7.
2) Haider EA, Toi A, Keating S, Kingdom J, Singer S. Fetal survival following decapitation. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2008 Feb;31(2):223-4.

 

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