Acardiac Fetus with Encephalocele: A case report

ABSTRACT

The acardiac fetus is a rare type of fetal monster in which, as the name implies, the heart is completely absent. Acardius occurs only in a pair monozygotic twin, and shows various other defects in addition to the absence of the heart. Our autopsy case is acardiac anceps. He weighed 1,980 gm and the height was 33 cm. The brain is poorly developed, 60 gm in weight and similar to reversed snowman (3.5x2.8x2.8, 1.5x1.5x1.3 cm). Encephalocele, 6 cm in diameter, was communicated with the brain by a tract which contains nervous tissue and primitive choroid plexus. The upper extremities were absent, while the vertebrae and lower extremities were relatively well developed. The heart, lungs, stomach, liver, and spleen were absent, but the kidney, genital organs and urinary bladder were present. The intestine was seperated into two segments which were blindly ended, 32 cm and 15 cm in length, respectively.