Congenital hypoplasia of the abdominal muscles and associated genitourinary tract abnormalities.

Abstract

Congenital hypoplasia of the abdominal musculature is a rare but important affliction of children, first described in the German literature in 1839 by Frohlich (2). The earliest reports in the English literature are those by Henderson in 1890 (5), Parker in 1895 (12), Guthrie in 1896 (4), and Osler in 1901 (11). Since that time over 100 cases have been recorded in the literature (1, 3, 6#x2013;10, 13, 14). The appearance of the abdomen in these children is characteristic (Fig. 3). The abdominal wall is protuberant, flabby, and thin, with intestinal peristalsis often visible. There may be complete or partial absence of the abdominal muscles. Those of the anterior abdomen are most commonly involved, but the posterior muscles such as the quadratus lumborum may be affected. The flanks are bulging and the skin over the abdomen is wrinkled. While the disease is usually found in males and bilateral cryptorchidism is almost invariably present, several instances have been reported in females. The often overlooked ...