Abstract

Body stalk anomaly is a rare developmental anomaly characterized by an enlarged abdominal wall defect, severe kyphoscoliosis and a rudimentary umbilical cord. It is often complicated by anomalies of head, face and extremities. It is diagnosed by ultrasonography, mostly in the second trimester of pregnancy during gestational age dating or evaluation of an elevated maternal serum α-fetoprotein. We present a case of body stalk anomaly at 23 weeks of gestation, diagnosed incidentally during sonographic evaluation in the first visit. Sonographic features of the fetus were severe midline defect of the fetal abdominal wall and a large extra-abdominal mass containing bowel and liver inside, severe scoliosis, clubfoot, absent urinary bladder and oligohydramnios. Body stalk anomaly is accepted as a fatal anomaly, so it’s important to differentiate it from other anterior wall defects for evaluating the management options.

Key Words: Body stalk anomaly, prenatal diagnosis