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- Title
Mermaid syndrome: virtually no hope for survival.
- Authors
Lutz, Nicolas; Meyrat, Blaise Julien; Guignard, Jean-Pierre; Hohlfeld, Judith
- Abstract
Sirenomelia, also called the mermaid syndrome is a severe malformation involving multiple organs and characterized by partially or completely developed lower extremities fused by the skin. The birth of a "mermaid" is very rare (1.2-4.2 cases for 100,000 births); most are stillborn, or die at or shortly after birth. The case of a living female neonate with dipodic simelia (fusion of well-developed legs) is presented. No prenatal diagnosis was made and the newborn had an uneventful neonatal course following Cesarean section delivery. The complex and striking malformation was obvious at birth and further evaluation revealed very poorly functioning kidneys, associated with abnormal anorectum, urogenital tract, and external genitalia, as well as a pelvic malformation. Supportive care was applied because of the poor prognosis and the child died at 7 weeks of age, due to renal failure.
- Subjects
PRENATAL diagnosis; OBSTETRICAL diagnosis; OBSTETRICS surgery; URINARY organs; SIRENOMELIA; DISEASE complications; MUSCULOSKELETAL system abnormalities; TREATMENT effectiveness; LEG abnormalities; MULTIPLE human abnormalities; GENETICS
- Publication
Pediatric Surgery International, 2004, Vol 20, Issue 7, p559
- ISSN
0179-0358
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.1007/s00383-003-0992-7