Sirenomelia
What are the other Names for this condition? (also known as / synonyms)
• Mermaid Syndrome
• Sirenomelia Sequence
• Midline Disorder
• Sirenomelus
What is it? (Definition/Background information)
• Sirenomelia is a birth defect that causes the legs to fuse together. This medical condition of malformation varies from person to person and occurs 1 in every 70,000 to 100,000 births. Fetus usually dies in the womb, during birth or usually right after birth.
Who gets it? (Age and Sex Distribution)
• Developing fetus of both genders
What are the Risk Factors? (Predisposing factors)
• A normal fetus has two arteries and one vein. However, fetus with Sirenomelia only has one umbilical artery and one vein, which unfortunately will contribute to the improper growth.
What are the Causes? (Etiology)
• Currently there is no known cause. However, researchers, scientists as well as doctors believe that a vitelline umbilical artery is a possible factor that can contribute to Sirenomelia.
What are the Signs and Symptoms?
• Fused legs or absent of foot structures
• Abnormal kidney
• Vertebral abnormality
• Absent of genital
• Incomplete or underdevelopment of reproductive system
How is it Diagnosed?
• Usually before birth, around the second trimester, doctors can diagnose Sirenomelia through ultrasound or sonogram
• Immediately after being born, doctors can tell if the baby has Sirenomelia through physical observation
What are the possible Complications?
The severity of Sirenomelia varies among individual. Many babies die during birth and those live can face long-term effects including:
• Renal problems such as kidney failure or absent of either one or both kidneys
• Cardiovascular problems such as Heart proble...
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..., born in 2004, is currently living in Peru. She was born with normal hearts and lungs. She underwent numerous surgeries such as kidney transplant, leg separation and organ reconstruction. When she was just 3 months, doctors operated on her lower extremity for the first time. With each operation, doctors hope to bring her a better and happier lifestyle.
• Tiffany Yorks was born in 1988 with a heart defect and kidney problems. When she was about a month old, she received 2 surgeries for her leg separations. She went through multiple surgeries for reconstruction of her legs and feet. Surgeons are also planning operations to create her bladder and rectum. Tiffany is now married and can participate in many activities like swimming and dancing. However, she sometimes has to use a wheelchair or a walker to move around. She is currently the longest survivor of Sirenomelia.
During pregnancy an echocardiogram of the fetus can be done to produce images of the heart by sending ultrasonic sound waves to the vital organ. These sound waves create an image for the physician to analyze the babies heart function, structure sizes, and blood flow. A positive diagnosis before birth has shown to improve chances of survival, and will allow for appropriate care to be readily available at birth. If a baby is born without being diagnosed with the heart defect, some symptoms previous noted such as low oxygen levels can be suggestive of hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The baby may not display any symptoms or signs for hours after birth because of the openings allowing for blood to be pumped to the rest of the body. However, listening to the babies heart can revel a murmur indicating an irregular flow of blood in the heart. If a murmur is heard, or signs of the defect are observed, diagnostic tests will be ordered and performed. An echocardiogram is still the go-to test once the baby is born to evaluate the heart. The echocardiogram will diagnose the newborn, by revealing the underdeveloped left ventricle, mitral and aortic valve, and the ascending aorta commonly seen in
Most serious structure with regards to Osteogenesis Imperfecta , the greater part of these cases are endless in great conditions, which means the vast majority of the cases wind up in premature birth by the guardians or unnatural birth cycle by nature . In any case, a portion of the uncommon cases that do survive present breathing challenges much of the time deadly at or soon after birth, regularly because of respiratory
It is the condition associated with severe mental disability and physical abnormalities in many parts of the body. Individuals with trisomy 13 often have many abnormalities that can be major or minor in the development of a child in the womb. Due to the life-threatening medical problems, many children born with trisomy 13 die within the first few weeks or days after they are born. Only a few of children with this condition live past their first year after they are born. The condition is very difficult to discover until a child is born.
Peterson-Iyer, Karen. "Confronting a Fetal Abnormality." http://www.scu.edu. Santa Clara University, Jan. 2008. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. .
A few months ago, she was diagnosed with leukemia and has been receiving Chemotherapy. The doctors have confessed that the Chemo has not had any impact, and found a donor match for a bone marrow transplant.
By the time she was only 38 years old, she was homebound and bedridden for the remainder of her life. Determined and dedicated as ever to improve health care and reduce patients suffering, she continued her work from her bed (Florence Bio).
This occurs when the fetal head is in the wrong position. It can also be caused by damage to the muscles of the neck or the neck of the blood supply problems.
19. Benn PA, Borgida A, Horne D, Briganti S, Collins R, Rodis J. Down syndrome and neural tube defect screening: the value of using gestational age by ultrasonography. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1997;176:1056–61.
Pregnant women have to be careful while pregnant. They have to watch out for various speed bumps. There are tons of toxins that can hurt the baby in the womb. The mother is responsible for most of these, after all she is the one who is carrying the baby. Many of these factors can result in death. It is really sad that it has to end that way some of the time. The worst toxins for a baby to encounter while in the mother’s uterus are different types of drugs and alcohol. Those two things can could serious problems for the infant once it gets into their system. They enter into the baby’s bloodstream from the mother, and cause problems from there on out.
technology, new medical equipment and better understanding on this disorder, physicians can easily diagnose infants at the earliest age of 18 months.
Identification and Cure Although Turner Syndrome can be identified in the fetus or with a blood test, there is not a known cure for it. With growth hormone replacement therapy and oestrogen injections (female hormones), the female victim of Turner syndrome can live an outwardly normal life. Ongoing research in reproduction and adoption make it possible for these women to marry and raise children.
exact cause, but most researchers will agree that it could be influenced by timing of pregnancy,
When she went into surgery in St. John’s Medical Center in St. Louis, we were all there and confidant that everything would go as planned. The doctors came out about one hour into the surgery to inform us that the damage was much worse than they initially thought. They told us that they would keep us updated on her progress. Two hours later they came out to tell us that her heart stopped beating and they tried everything they could to revive her, but she had died.
Newborn screening is the practice in which the harmful or potentially fatal conditions that can affect the infant's health or survival are detected. This process can prevent death or health problems and protect the infant against certain diseases and medical conditions. Newborn screening started in 1960's when many states in U.S.A. established a newborn test program for phenylketonuria (PKU) by using the Guthrie method, a system for the collection and transportation of blood samples on filter paper. Many Infants showed developments while receiving treatment. This success led to the addition of tests for other metabolic diseases. Over time, tests were added for endocrine disorders and now newborn screening program include more than 50 individual conditions.