[Congenital varicella: limits of prenatal diagnosis]

Abstract

Introduction: Primary varicella infection during pregnancy is uncommon. Fetal varicella syndrome is unusual when varicella occurs after 20 weeks of gestation.

Case report: A mother contracted chicken pox at 21 weeks and 3 days of gestation. Monthly monitoring was assured by the center for prenatal diagnosis, starting from 23 weeks. At 36 weeks, foetal echography detected liver calcifications, without other lesions. At 38 weeks, the patient went into spontaneous labour and delivered a male baby. The baby presented cicatricial skin lesions all over the body and scalp. The cerebral scan detected calcifications and a bilateral chorioretinitis was noticed. At 12 months, the infant had delayed psychomotor acquisitions, a cerebral cortical atrophy and blindness.

Conclusion: The presence of fetal liver calcifications after chicken pox in the mother is a seldom reported sign. In our observation, liver calcifications were the single sign of a severe fetal damage.