Korean J Perinatol.  2011 Dec;22(4):345-349.

A Case of Preterm Newborn with Hydranencephaly, from an Adolescent, Unmarried Woman who had No Antenatal Care

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Korea. baby4019@hallym.or.kr

Abstract

Hydranencephaly is a term used to describe a group of brain malformations in regard to developing any brain remnants. With most of the cerebral cortex absent, the cerebral hemispheres are replaced by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), covered with leptomeninges and dura. Hydranencephaly is a rare isolated abnormality occurring in less than 1 per 10,000 births. With the cutting edged sonography, most of the hydranencephalies are screened in antenatal care. Therefore, it is very rare to observe a living preterm with hydranencephaly. From a history of a young, 19-year-old pregnant woman who did not look for the antenatal care, we found out that it was her first pregnancy, she was unmarried and intermittently had alcohol during the pregnancy. After home delivery, a preterm newborn assumed to be 28 weeks of gestational age was placed under surfactant therapy because of respiratory distress syndrome, and then received a mechanical ventilation. Brain sonography showed that most of the cerebral parenchyma, cortical tissue was absent at the 5th day after the birth. Magnetic resonance images (MRI) of brain showed that almost complete absence of cerebrum which was replaced by CSF, hydranencephaly at 81th days from birth. In summary, we report a preterm newborn with hydranencephaly from an adolescent, unmarried woman who had no antenatal care.

Keyword

Hydranencephaly; Preterm; Unmarried mother

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Brain
Cerebral Cortex
Cerebrum
Female
Gestational Age
Humans
Hydranencephaly
Illegitimacy
Infant, Newborn
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Parturition
Pregnancy
Pregnant Women
Respiration, Artificial
Single Person
Young Adult
Full Text Links
  • KJP
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr