Is the degree of fetal hepatosplenomegaly with transient abnormal myelopoiesis closely related to the postnatal severity of hematological abnormalities in Down syndrome?

We present three cases of transient abnormal myelopoiesis associated with trisomy 21 in which hepatomegaly was apparent during the fetal period. In the first case, the fetal hepatosplenomegaly was severe, multiple organ failure occurred in the neonatal period and death ensued at 4 weeks of age. In the second case, the hepatomegaly was moderate, and with conservative treatment in the neonatal period the outcome was good. In the third case, hepatomegaly was mild and improved spontaneously, and the hematological abnormalities required only conservative treatment in the neonatal period. Our experience raises the question of whether fetal hepatosplenomegaly is a predictor of transient myeloproliferative disorder with trisomy 21 and whether the degree of fetal hepatomegaly is a marker for the neonatal severity of hematological abnormalities. Copyright 2004 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.