Presentation
Abdominal pain. Inadvertently taken radiograph.
Patient Data
Age: 24 weeks gestation
From the case:
Acrania-exencephaly sequence
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Fetal skeleton projected onto the patient's abdomen and pelvis, with no discernable skull vault - suspected acrania.
From the case:
Acrania-exencephaly sequence
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Irregular outlined brain patter protruding freely into amniotic fluid is seen, with absence of cranial vault.
Case Discussion
Neural tube defects (NTDs) affect 2.6 per 1000 births, with spina bifida and anencephaly accounting for 95% of all NTDs.
Anencephaly is the absence of cranial bones with exposed rudimentary brain tissue. Polyhydramnios is commonly associated with anencephaly due to the absence of pituitary control over urine formation.
Anencephaly is prevalent in low socioeconomic strata due to the lack of folic acid supplementation during pregnancy.