Amniotic band syndrome: a case report.

Amniotic band syndrome is an uncommon congenital pathological condition that may lead to malformations and foetal-infant death. We report an autoptic case. The patient was a male preterm infant. At 14 weeks of gestation, a routine ultrasonography showed severe craniofacial anomalies and a close contiguity of the foetal head with the amnios. The neonate survived three days, after which an autopsy was carried out. The infant had a frontoparietal meningoencephalocele; a fibrous band was attached to the skin, close to the meningoencephalocele base. Cleft lip and palate, nose deformation and agenesis of the right eye were also present. At the opening of the cranial cavity, occipital hyperostosis was observed. The herniated brain showed anatomical abnormalities that made identification of normal structures difficult. Microscopically, the nervous parenchyma had architectural disorganization and immaturity, and the fibrous band consisted of amniotic membranes. As evident from this case report, amniotic band syndrome may cause severe malformations and foetal-infant death.