This video shows Anencephaly and Cystic Hygroma with a Pregnancy of about 21 weeks.
The incidence of nuchal cystic hygroma is about 1/6000 at birth and about 1/750 in spontaneous abortion. It is not only associated with lymphatic malformation but also with chromosome aneuploidies, hydrops fetalis, and even intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD). The prognosis is often considered poor.
The overall survival rate for fetal cystic hygroma is 10%. Prognosis remains guarded regardless of all other factors until the fetus reaches 26 weeks' gestation, after which time a 67% chance of ultimate survival can be expected.
Small cystic hygromas are more likely to disappear by themselves, causing no further problems for your baby. A majority of cystic hygromas grow to be very large. In fact, 85 percent, become larger than the fetal head.
Once you've had a pregnancy affected by anencephaly, there is a 1 in 50 chance of it happening again. Your genes may affect your chances, and small changes to DNA may increase the risk of having another baby with an NTD, so do ask to see a geneticist if you would like to find out if this was the case for your family.
These data show that over 40 percent of liveborn anencephalic infants (51% males; 34% females) survive longer than 24 hours, and of these, 5 percent are still alive on the seventh day. Data also are presented on the types of malformations observed in addition to anencephaly.
An infected hygroma looks angry: it can be red, swollen, warm, or painful to the touch and may weep or leak fluid. Hygromas often appear on both elbows at the same time. If a dog has had a hygroma for a long time, there is a risk of severe inflammation.
Anencephaly is a fatal condition. Most babies with anencephaly pass away before birth, and the pregnancy ends in miscarriage. Babies born with anencephaly die within a few hours, days, or weeks.
During pregnancy, there are screening tests (prenatal tests) to check for birth defects and other conditions. Anencephaly would result in an abnormal result on a blood or serum screening test or it might be seen during an ultrasound (which creates pictures of the body).
What causes cystic hygroma in unborn babies?
They may result from environmental factors (maternal virus infection or alcohol abuse during pregnancy), genetic factors, or unknown factors. The majority of prenatally diagnosed cystic hygromas are associated with Turner syndrome or other chromosomal abnormalities like trisomy 21.
Cystic hygromas can also increase the risk of miscarriage and may even be life-threatening. Doctors recommend that you schedule your delivery in a major medical center if a hygroma is detected during pregnancy.
A cystic hygroma — or lymphangioma — is a birth defect that appears as a sac-like structure with a thin wall that most commonly occurs in the head and neck area of an infant. As the baby grows in the womb, it can develop from pieces of material that carry fluid and white blood cells.
With the recognition of early hydrops through increased use of both first-trimester dating ultrasound and routine ultrasound screening at 18–22 weeks, the incidence may be higher. Finnish data from women undergoing routine anomaly screening at 20 weeks' gestation gives an incidence of 1 in 1700.
