title: Limb-body wall complex: in utero sonographic diagnosis of a complicated fetal malformation.
abstract: Limb-Body Wall Complex is a complicated fetal malformation with the essential features of neural-tube defects, body-wall disruption, and limb abnormalities. This complex should be distinguished from other body-wall defects including omphalocele and gastroschisis since the prognosis for limb-body wall complex is uniformly poor. For 13 cases of this unusual fetal anomaly, sonographic, radiologic, and pathologic findings were correlated. Thoracic or abdominal body-wall defects, neural-tube abnormalities, severe scoliosis, positional deformities, and abnormalities of fetal membranes were consistently demonstrated on in utero sonograms. Results show that the diagnosis of limb-body wall complex can be made by prenatal sonography.
mesh_terms: D000009:Abdominal Muscles / Q000002:abnormalities; D000015:Abnormalities, Multiple / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D005321:Extraembryonic Membranes / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000473:pathology*; D006554:Hernia, Umbilical / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000002:abnormalities; D017880:Limb Deformities, Congenital; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000175:diagnosis; D011247:Pregnancy; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D012886:Skull / Q000002:abnormalities; D013909:Thorax / Q000002:abnormalities; D014463:Ultrasonography