A case of body stalk anomaly at 10 weeks of gestation.

Abstract

We describe a case of body stalk anomaly which was diagnosed at 10 weeks of gestation on a dating scan. The fetus was visualized within the exocelomic cavity outside an apparently intact amniotic membrane. The fetus displayed multiple anomalies characteristic of body stalk syndrome including a skull and brain defect, abdominal wall defect, kyphoscoliosis and gross deformities of the lower limbs. These findings do not support early amniotic membrane rupture as the primary event in the pathogenesis of body stalk anomaly and indicate that the exocelomic location of the fetus may actually be one of the features of this complex developmental anomaly.