Affiliation:
1. KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore
Abstract
Introduction: Recurrent non-immune fetal hydrops (NIH) has been reported in the literature but is a rare entity, with fewer than 6 reported cases so far. It has been postulated to be related to a recessive gene.
Clinical Picture: We report a case of recurrent fetal hydrops in a multigravida with no medical history of note. She presented in her current pregnancy with a significant history of having 4 (out of 7) previous pregnancies affected by hydrops.
Treatment: All the affected pregnancies resulted in mid-trimester pregnancy termination (MTPT) following diagnosis in the second trimester. Previous investigations for hydrops did not yield any obvious cause.
Outcome: Her most recent pregnancy was unaffected. We discuss the possible differential diagnoses and the likelihood of autosomal recessive metabolic diseases being the aetiological factor.
Conclusion: Rare causes of fetal hydrops need to be excluded in cases of recurrent non-immune hydrops with no obvious aetiology following routine investigations.
Key words: Hydrops fetalis, Lysosomal storage disorders, Non-immune, Thalassaemia, Ultrasonography
Publisher
Academy of Medicine, Singapore
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