Pregnant patient with prune belly syndrome: case report

ABSTRACT

Prune belly syndrome is a rare congenital disease of unknown etiology that is present in one in every 40 thousand live births, and predominantly affects males, at a ratio of 4:1. In males, it presents with anomalies in the urinary system, absence of abdominal muscles, bilateral cryptorchidism, and infertility. In women, the syndrome has variable presentations, but fertility is preserved. Searching the medical literature, we found only one case of prune belly syndrome in pregnant women. Therefore, the patient in this report is the second case. She was primiparous, 25-years-old, with no abdominal muscles, severe congenital kyphoscoliosis, and pulmonary restriction. Elective cesarean section was performed at 37 weeks of gestation due to maternal risk of uterine rupture by transverse presentation and fetal risk of intrauterine growth restriction. The pre-anesthetic approach defined that general anesthesia might have more risks for the patient due to severe maternal lung disease compared to ultrasound-guided locoregional anesthesia. During prenatal care, there were some maternal complications, such as asthma exacerbations, abdominal pain, and constipation. The newborn was born small for gestational age and this can possibly be explained by maternal restrictive lung capacity. The newborn presented with Apgar score 8/9 and tachypnea, but improved after two hours of life.

Prune belly syndrome; Pregnancy, high-risk