BACKGROUND: Poland syndrome is a congenital nongenetic anomaly characterized by unilateral chest wall hypoplasia, ipsilateral hand abnormalities, and hemivertebrae. It has not ben described so far in the fetus. CASE: The patient was referred for suspected left-arm hypomelia at 22 weeks of gestation. On ultrasonography, we confirmed the presence of severe left-sided hypomelia and detected an asymmetry of the rib cage and 3 thoracic hemivertebrae. The absence of heart defects led us to make the putative diagnosis of Poland syndrome. After termination of pregnancy, the diagnosis was confirmed by the pathologist. CONCLUSION: The possibility of diagnosing Poland syndrome in utero is important for proper management and counseling. If the syndrome is suspected in a fetus, counselors may refer to specific postnatal data to provide the couple with survival rates, treatment options, and results and morbidity figures. If the pregnancy is terminated, a detailed necropsy is warranted to confirm the diagnosis because familial transmission has been reported.
BACKGROUND:Poland syndrome is a congenital nongenetic anomaly characterized by unilateral chest wall hypoplasia, ipsilateral hand abnormalities, and hemivertebrae. It has not ben described so far in the fetus. CASE: The patient was referred for suspected left-arm hypomelia at 22 weeks of gestation. On ultrasonography, we confirmed the presence of severe left-sided hypomelia and detected an asymmetry of the rib cage and 3 thoracic hemivertebrae. The absence of heart defects led us to make the putative diagnosis of Poland syndrome. After termination of pregnancy, the diagnosis was confirmed by the pathologist. CONCLUSION: The possibility of diagnosing Poland syndrome in utero is important for proper management and counseling. If the syndrome is suspected in a fetus, counselors may refer to specific postnatal data to provide the couple with survival rates, treatment options, and results and morbidity figures. If the pregnancy is terminated, a detailed necropsy is warranted to confirm the diagnosis because familial transmission has been reported.