Limb-body wall complex: in utero sonographic diagnosis of a complicated fetal malformation

Abstract

Limb-Body Wall Complex is a complicated fetal malformation with the essential features of neural-tube defects, body-wall disruption, and limb abnormalities. This complex should be distinguished from other body-wall defects including omphalocele and gastroschisis since the prognosis for limb-body wall complex is uniformly poor. For 13 cases of this unusual fetal anomaly, sonographic, radiologic, and pathologic findings were correlated. Thoracic or abdominal body-wall defects, neural-tube abnormalities, severe scoliosis, positional deformities, and abnormalities of fetal membranes were consistently demonstrated on in utero sonograms. Results show that the diagnosis of limb-body wall complex can be made by prenatal sonography.