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The prognostic factors and the outcome of primary isolated fetal ascites

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic factors and review the outcome of primary isolated fetal ascites.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted for fetuses with primary isolated ascites with a prenatal diagnosis between 1994 and 2009. The patients were divided into the favorable group (Group I) whose ascites were resolved by medical treatment alone and an unfavorable group (Group II) who required surgical intervention after birth due to refractory ascites.

Results

There were seven patients in Group I and five patients in Group II. Six of seven patients who developed ascites after 30 weeks’ gestation were categorized in Group I, and four of five infants who developed ascites before 30 weeks’ gestation were categorized in Group II. There was a negative correlation between the gestational age at diagnosis and the severity of the fetal abdominal distention. In Group II, the ascites resolved in two cases and was reaccommodated in another two cases after surgery. An infant with trisomy 21 received continuous drainage and eventually died of infection.

Conclusions

The prognosis of primary isolated fetal ascites can be predicted based on the gestational age at diagnosis and the severity of the fetal abdominal distention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatric Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan

    Satoko Nose, Noriaki Usui, Hideki Soh, Masafumi Kamiyama, Gakuto Tani & Masahiro Fukuzawa

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, Japan

    Takeshi Kanagawa & Tadashi Kimura

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan

    Hitomi Arahori

  4. Department of Pediatric Surgery, Osaka Medical Center and Research Institute For Maternal and Child Health, Osaka, Japan

    Keisuke Nose & Akio Kubota

Authors
  1. Satoko Nose
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  2. Noriaki Usui
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  3. Hideki Soh
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  4. Masafumi Kamiyama
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  5. Gakuto Tani
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  6. Takeshi Kanagawa
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  7. Tadashi Kimura
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  8. Hitomi Arahori
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  9. Keisuke Nose
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  10. Akio Kubota
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  11. Masahiro Fukuzawa
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Satoko Nose.

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Nose, S., Usui, N., Soh, H. et al. The prognostic factors and the outcome of primary isolated fetal ascites. Pediatr Surg Int 27, 799–804 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00383-011-2855-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00383-011-2855-y

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