Although cystic hygroma can be diagnosed clinically, imaging studies are must prior to any further management. They often progress to hydrops and cause fetal death. Polyhydramnios in fetuses with large cystic hygromas may be severe to the point that the mother develops respiratory difficulties and preterm labor.
Fetal Cystic Hygroma — Cause and Natural History NEJM
Cystic hygroma refers to the abnormal lymphatic lesion that mostly develops at birth.
It is the most common form of lymphangioma (75% are located on the neck, 20% in the axillary region.
A cystic hygroma may be caused by genetic or environmental factors that cause abnormal development of the lymphatic vascular system during embryonic growth. Prenatal diagnosis is always made by ultrasound during the nuchal translucency test. The exact cause of a cystic hygroma is unknown. Cystic hygroma is caused by defects in the formation of the neck lymphatics.
It is a congenital defect that can affect any part of the human body but it in most cases affects the neck and head.
Fetal cystic hygroma may result from environmental factors (maternal virus infection or alcohol abuse during pregnancy), genetic factors, or unknown factors. Common environmental causes of cystic hygromas are: Epidemiology they usually occur in the fetal/infantile and pediatric populations with most lesions presenting by the age of two. Cystic hygromas can often cause a significant increase in the amount of amniotic fluid, referred to as polyhydramnios.
Viral infections passed to a fetus during pregnancy;
If a connection between the lymph system and the blood. They are thought to arise from failure of the lymphatic system to communicate with the venous system in the neck. Individual ch may be acquired autosomal passive disorder in which parents act as silent carriers. A cystic hygroma is a growth that often occurs in the head and neck area.
They are thought to arise from failure of the lymphatic system to communicate with the venous system in the neck.
After birth, a cystic hygroma usually looks like a soft bulge under the skin. Prenatal diagnosis by sonography and chromosome test provides parents the opportunity to terminate the abnormal fetus 33). Viral infections passed from the mother to the baby during pregnancy exposure to drugs or alcohol during pregnancy Fetal cystic hygromas are congenital malformations of the lymphatic system of the neck.
This material is called embryonic lymphatic tissue.
It may occur on its own or as part of a genetic syndrome with other features, such as turner syndrome , down syndrome or noonan syndrome. Both environmental and genetic factors can contribute to the formation of cystic hygromas. The cause of early pnd was circulatory failure. The cyst forms as a result of damage to the lymphatic system during fetal development, or as a result of physical trauma or respiratory infection in cases that affect adults.
They are thought to arise from failure of the lymphatic system to communicate with the venous system in the neck.
Cases with hydrops fetalis without chromosomal abnormalities or structural anomalies (5 cases) resulted in either intrauterine fetal death (iufd, 2 cases) or early perinatal neonatal death (early pnd, 3 cases). How these syndromes are inherited vary depending on the specific syndrome. It forms from pieces of material that carry fluid and white blood cells. The cause may be due to a myriad of diagnoses, including congenital, neoplastic, infective, inflammatory, and vascular etiologies.
They are thought to arise from failure of the lymphatic system to communicate with the venous system in the neck.
Drug or alcohol use during pregnancy A genetic factor that brings on fetal cystic hygroma is chromosome disorders such as patau, edwards, noonan, turner, and the down syndrome. A cystic hygroma occurs as the baby grows in the womb. It thereby affects babies and not the adults.
Miss some causes of cystic hygroma that could be found by diagnostic testing.
They are differentiated from nuchal edema by the presence of the nuchal ligament (midline septum). In such cases, an amnioreduction may be recommended. Some cystic hygromas cause additional conditions such as: This is how cystic hygromas form.
They often progress to hydrops and cause fetal death.
They are thought to arise from failure of the lymphatic system to communicate with the azygos vein at around 8 weeks of gestation and, as they get larger, can cause nuchal and generalized edema. They often progress to hydrops and cause fetal death (chervenak et al., 1983). It is a birth defect. Both a baby’s genes and their environment in the womb can cause problems with the way their lymphatic system grows.
