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Case Reports
. 2023 Nov 29;15(11):e49663.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.49663. eCollection 2023 Nov.

Fetal Hydantoin Syndrome: A Case Report

Affiliations
Case Reports

Fetal Hydantoin Syndrome: A Case Report

Sanchit Aggarwal et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Epilepsy is not a common cause of morbidity in pregnancy. It has widespread effects on maternal and fetal health necessitating adequate control of seizures. Many anti-seizure medications (ASM) have teratogenic effects on the fetus. We report a case of severe fetal hydantoin syndrome resulting in life-threatening major congenital anomalies. The mother was on phenytoin for the last three years and the pregnancy was not registered. We discuss various features of fetal hydantoin syndrome and the ideal management of epilepsy in pregnancy in brief.

Keywords: antiepileptic drugs; fetal embryopathy; fetal hydantoin syndrome; phenytoin embryopathy; women with epilepsy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Clinical photographs of the patient showing characteristic features of fetal hydantoin syndrome: (A) hypertelorism, broad nasal bridge, cleft lip and low-set ears. (B) Hypoplastic distal phalanges in the right hand with contractures. (C) Oligosyndactyly. (D) Absent distal phalanges in bilateral feet. (E) Single umbilical artery.

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