title: Comparison of the amniotic band disruption complex with acardiac twins does not support its vascular origin.
abstract: The amniotic band disruption complex (ABDC) has been attributed to vascular disruption by some authors, not by others. Acardiac twins (ATs), however, have been generally accepted as a prime example of vascular disruption. In this study a comparison was made of these two entities to determine if they were similar or not, and thus we attempted to resolve the controversy of the mechanisms in the ABDC. A female tendency (2:1) was found in the ABDC in contrast to the "normal" sex distribution (0.88:1) in the ATs (p < 0.001). Most types of malformations (66%) were mutually exclusive, notably those of the cranium/brain, abdominal wall, and most internal organs; 83% were more significantly related to one or other of the entities. The ABDC malformations tended to occur unilaterally, but in the ATs they occurred bilaterally (p < 0.0001); the former tended to involve external organs and the latter internal organs (p < 0.0001). With so many differences, the two entities are unlikely due to the same mechanism: the ABDC is more likely to be due to external disruption.
authors: Department of Anatomic Pathology, General Hospital of Mexico, Mexico City, 06726 Mexico. hecsanpay@msn.com
authors: Belinda R
authors: BR
authors: Davies
authors: Juan Antonio
authors: JA
authors: Giménez-Scherer
mesh_terms: D034861:Abdominal Wall / Q000002:abnormalities; D000015:Abnormalities, Multiple / Q000473:pathology; D000652:Amniotic Band Syndrome / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D001344:Autopsy; D001921:Brain / Q000002:abnormalities; D018376:Cardiovascular Abnormalities / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014781:Viscera / Q000002:abnormalities