title: Thoracoabdominal wall defect with complete ectopia cordis and gastroschisis: a case report and review of the literature.
abstract: Ventral wall defects are extremely rare anomalies that are likely caused by the failure of the ventral wall to close during week 4 of development. We report a case of severe thoracoabdominal wall defect including complete thoracic ectopia cordis and gastroschisis. This combination represents a novel constellation of findings in a single patient. This unique case further demonstrates an anatomically normal heart with age-appropriate development and an intact diaphragm. We review the literature of other reports and discussions of entities that share overlapping features with this case.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, CHS 13-145, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1732, USA.
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pepper
authors.forename: Gregory A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Fishbein
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Teitell
mesh_terms: D034861:Abdominal Wall / Q000002:abnormalities*; D054083:Ectopia Cordis / Q000473:pathology*; D005333:Fetus; D020139:Gastroschisis / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male