When was thalidomide available first to use?
1957-1961, thalidomide found use in Europe, Japan, Australia and Canada as an antiemetic during pregnancy and as a sedative until it was found to be a teratogen causing birth defects. Fetuses were found to be vulnerable to upper limb phocomelia between days 27-30 of gestation and only a single dose of the drug could produce defects. The drug became over-the-counter in 1960, and 5,000 to 7,000 infants were born with signs of phocomelia.
Why is it called phocomelia?
Derived from the Greek words phoco meaning seal and melia meaning limb.
What are some teratogenic effects of thalidomide?
Ingestion of thalidomide during the first trimester of pregnancy can cause serious fetal malformations, including absence of the ears; deafness, absence, or hypoplasia of the arms (phocomelia) preferentially affecting the radius and the thumb; defects of the tibia and femur; and cardiac, bowel, uterine, and gallbladder malformations.
What is the congenital deformity?
The hands are attached bilaterally at the shoulder joints. The humeri, radii and ulnas are congenitally missing.
CXR 1: standard PA
CXR 2: dual energy PA
CXR 3: subtraction image PA