title: 3-D reconstruction of a human fetus with combined holoprosencephaly and cyclopia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to examine a human fetus with combined holoprosencephaly and cyclopia by means of histology and 3-D reconstruction to determine the internal structure and extent of the malformation.
  
  
  METHODS
  The head from a human fetus at 20 weeks gestation and a diagnosis of holoprosencephaly and cyclopia was investigated histologically and three-dimensionally reconstructed with CAD techniques. The cranial bones, blood vessels, nerves, eye and brain anlagen were reconstructed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 3-D reconstruction revealed both severe malformation and absence of the facial midline bones above the maxilla, and a malformation of the maxilla and sphenoid bone. The mandible, posterior cranial bones, cranial nerves and blood vessels were normal. A synophthalmic eye with two lenses was found. The prosencephalon was a single small protrusion above the diencephalon. No nasal cavity was present. Above the single eye a proboscis was found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The absence of the facial midline bones above the maxilla and the presence of a proboscis as a nose-like structure above the cyclopic eye both mean that there was a developmental defect in the fronto-nasal facial process of this fetus.
authors: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Witten/Herdecke, Alfred Herrhausenstrasse 50, 58448 Witten, Germany. wolfgang.arnold@uni-wh.de
authors: Wolfgang H
authors: WH
authors: Arnold
authors: Veronika
authors: V
authors: Meiselbach
mesh_terms: D005333:Fetus; D016142:Holoprosencephaly / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional