Korean J Obstet Gynecol.  2004 Aug;47(8):1577-1581.

A Case of Persistent Cloaca Diagnosed by Prenatal Sonography

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Eulji University Hospital, Daejeon, Korea.

Abstract

Persistent cloaca is a very rare congenital anomaly with a single common perineal opening for the genital urinary and gastrointestinal tract, which is caused by abnormal formation of the urorectal septum. It has an incidence of 1 in 50,000 to 1 in 125,000 births and is much more common in females and in twin pregnancies. Pathologic findings of persistent cloaca include dilated bowel, hydrocolpos, urethral obstruction, hydronephrosis and oligohydramnios caused by obstruction of the bladder, vagina and intestine. Failure of the paired m llerian ducts to fuse also usually results in duplication of the uterus and vagina. Currently, the diagnosis depends on the prenatal sonography but the diagnosis may be very difficult due to the complex nature of the anomaly and variable appearances. We present a case of persistent cloaca with one opening confirmed by autopsy after therapeutic termination which was initially diagnosed by prenatal sonography.

Keyword

One opening; Persistent cloaca

MeSH Terms

Autopsy
Cloaca*
Diagnosis
Female
Gastrointestinal Tract
Humans
Hydrocolpos
Hydronephrosis
Incidence
Intestines
Oligohydramnios
Parturition
Pregnancy
Pregnancy, Twin
Urethral Obstruction
Urinary Bladder
Uterus
Vagina
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