Obstructed uterovaginal anomalies: demonstration with sonography. Part I. Neonates and infants

Abstract

The sonograms of five neonates with an obstructed urogenital sinus and four with an obstructed cloaca were retrospectively reviewed to determine the sonographic features and the role of pre- and postnatal sonography in the diagnosis and management of hydrocolpos. On pre- and/or postnatal sonograms, the obstructed genital tract was visualized in seven neonates as a large cystic pelvic-abdominal mass, which was the markedly distended urine-filled vagina. One neonate had multiple cystic masses, which resulted from an obstructed duplex genital tract. In one of the neonates with an obstructed cloaca, the anomaly was not diagnosed. The bladder was compressed by the distended vagina and was not visualized in five patients. A vaginal fluid-debris level in six patients was a key finding that distinguished the vagina from the bladder. Obstruction of the urinary tract was an associated feature. An obstructed uterovaginal anomaly with renal dysplasia and oligohydramnios on prenatal sonograms indicates a poor prognosis. Sonography contributes to the diagnosis of an obstructed genital tract and helps define the internal genital anatomy.