[Prenatal ultrasound aspects of arthrogryposis multiplex congenita].
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the contribution of prenatal ultrasound in the diagnosis of arthrogryposis multiplex congenital according to its type and antenatal expression.


METHODS
Retrospective study led between January 1993 and November 2007. We studied the cases of arthrogryposis suspected or diagnosed by antenatal ultrasound while analyzing the circumstances of discovery, the profile of the pregnant women and the abnormal scan findings.


RESULTS
16 observations have been collected. We recovered one multiple pterigium syndrome and five observations of severe fetal akinesia sequences diagnosed in the second trimester. The arthrogryposis was part of different syndromes in other cases. Four distal arthrogryposis had been diagnosed in the second trimester. All cases suspected during the third trimester were associated to an anomaly of the amniotic fluid, mainly to a polyhydramnios. The abnormal scan findings were less specific to this term.


CONCLUSIONS
Arthrogryposis multiplex congenital is rare. It has several morphological aspects. Some ultrasound aspects are specific in the first and second trimesters. The diagnosis is more difficult at the third trimester.
Chelli
Dalenda
D
Service A, Centre de Maternité et de Néonatalogie, Tunis.
Dimassi
Kaouther
K
Bouaziz
Mouna
M
Masmoudi
Aida
A
Ben Jemaa
Nadia
N
Zouaoui
Béchir
B
Sfar
Ezzeddine
E
Chelli
Héla
H
Channoufi
Mohamed Badis
MB
Gaigi
Soumaya
S
D000328:Adult; D001176:Arthrogryposis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal; D055815:Young Adult