Prenatal Diagnosis and Postnatal Treatment in a Case of Abdominal Obstruction and Polyhydramnios Caused by Amniotic Band Sequence

Author Info

Daniela Casati Gloria Pelizzo Roberta Milazzo Elena Albani Irene Cetin Mariano Lanna

Corresponding Author

Daniela Casati
Fetal Therapy Unit “U. Nicolini”, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Buzzi Children’s Hospital, Milan, Italy

A B S T R A C T

Background: Amniotic band sequence (ABS) is a rare congenital disorder resulting from the entanglement of fetal parts by fibrous bands that may cause disruptions, deformations, or malformations that can range from mild to life threatening conditions. Prenatal diagnosis is usually based on ultrasounds visualization on amniotic bands attached to fetal parts, possibly causing fetal defects. Case Presentation: A 19-year-old woman with an unremarkable clinical history and a low-risk pregnancy was referred to our Fetal Therapy Unit for a suspected fetal clubfoot at 22 weeks gestational age. A chorioamniotic separation, together with unilateral clubfoot was diagnosed. Due to a high risk of premature rupture of membranes a decision was made not to perform amniocentesis for genetic investigation. At prenatal follow up progressive polyhydramnios developed with a preterm spontaneous rupture of the membranes at 34 weeks. After caesarean section – due to breech presentation – an amniotic band was observed at the abdominal level causing a circular skin lesion, constriction, and a sub-occlusive intestinal status. Moreover, a left clubfoot with amputation of distal phalanx of the second toe and a right foot amputation of 2nd and 3rd toes were evident. The neonate underwent abdominal plastic surgery on the second day of life with complete recovery. Following the postnatal diagnosis of ABS, we re-examined a stored fetal 3D ultrasound volume acquired at 22 weeks and, focusing on the fetal surface rendering, we could notice the deep abdominal skin furrow that was evident at birth. Discussion: This case represents an unusual antenatal presentation of an amniotic band sequence that escaped prenatal diagnosis with a progressive polyhydramnios as an indirect sign of fetal bowel obstruction caused by an abdominal constricting band. In the presence of chorioamniotic separation and additional ominous ultrasound findings, it is advisable to consider the possibility of an ABS.

Article Info

Article Type

Case Report

Publication history

Received: Thu 11, Mar 2021
Accepted: Thu 25, Mar 2021
Published: Sat 03, Apr 2021

Copyright

© 2023 Daniela Casati. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Hosting by Science Repository.
DOI: 10.31487/j.SCR.2021.04.04