Correlates of prenatal visceromegaly

Abstract

Aside from recognized overgrowth syndromes, instances of visceromegaly are not uncommon at perinatal autopsy. The database of the University of Michigan Teratology Unit was screened for individual viscera exceeding the 90th centile for body and brain weight standards. The data were stratified for several maternal (hypertension, diabetes, obesity), gestational (chorioamnionitis, oligohydramnios, amniorrhaea, polyhydramnios), and fetal (body wall defect, cardiac malformation, renal malformation, diaphragmatic hernia, nonimmune hydrops, twin transfusion syndrome) characteristics and tested for statistically significant excessive numbers of heavy organs. The most striking associations were heavy adrenal glands and liver with chorioamnionitis, heavy heart with polyhydramnios and in the twin transfusion syndrome, and heavy heart and liver with nonimmune hydrops. Excessive brain weight for body weight had a number of correlations, each most likely reflecting growth restriction with sparing of brain growth.

Pseudo‐partial moles: placental stem vessel hydrops and the association with Beckwith–Wiedemann syndrome and complete moles

“…Only one live birth in our series had classic diagnostic features of Beckwith–Wiedemann syndrome but there were consistent congenital anomalies present in two further cases, adrenal cytomegaly in another terminated case and neonatal hypoglycaemia in another live birth, which are suggestive of Beckwith–Wiedemann syndrome 9 , 18 . These features are also consistent with the previously reported findings that abnormalities of chromosome 11 may be present in phenotypically normal siblings of children affected by the Beckwith–Wiedemann syndrome, and that visceromegaly may develop in some cases after birth 19 . The marked female/male predominance in our series has not, however, been previously reported in Beckwith–Wiedemann syndrome.…”

Variability in airborne and biological measures of exposure to mercury in the chloralkali industry: implications for epidemiologic studies.

“…Nonetheless, we need to know more about fetal adrenal function and response to environmental factors, especially stress. There are reports that fetal stress (e.g., hypoxia and chorioamnionitis) is associated with increased bulk of the fetal adrenal cortex (18,19). However, the functional implications of these observations are unknown.…”

Postmortem fetal organ volumetry using magnetic resonance imaging and comparison to organ weights at conventional autopsy

“…Furthermore, an important part of the conventional autopsy is the assessment of fetal organ growth by measuring organ weights9. This may provide evidence of abnormal fetal growth, including growth restriction and overgrowth syndromes, or other abnormalities such as pulmonary hypoplasia10–12.…”