Aetiology and prognosis of prenatally diagnosed megacystis regarding gestational age at discovery. A six-year retrospective study

摘要

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to describe the diagnosis, the care and the prognosis of the fetuses with an antenataly diagnosed megacystis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Six year retrospective study about 46 cases of megacystis (26 diagnosed during 1st trimester; 14 during 2nd trimester; 9 during 3rd trimester) referred in the prenatal fetal medicine unit of the Femme-Mere-Enfant hospital in Lyon (France). RESULTS: The main aetiology is urethral occlusion, particularly for megacystis discovered during the 1st and the 2nd trimesters. Twenty-two terminations of pregnancy were performed (47.8%) and 6 pregnancies arrested spontaneously (13%). Eighteen children were born alive, but 2 died in neonatal period. Finally, 16 children survived (34.8%). Chromosomal abnormalities are frequent (22%). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Antenatal discovery of a megacystis is a complex situation, and often of poor fetal prognosis. It requires a multidisciplinary approach to allow the concerned couple to be determined on the best care of this pregnancy.