Intrauterine Therapy for the Acutely Enlarging Fetal Cystic Hygroma

Abstract

Enlarged fetal cystic hygroma is known to cause life-threatening complications such as fetal hydrops and neonatal respiratory difficulty. A 28-year-old Japanese woman, gravida 0, presented with fetal cystic hygroma at 23 weeks of gestation. There were no other structural malformations or hydrops detected by ultrasonographic examination. In addition, the karyotype was diagnosed as normal through amniotic fluid analysis. The cystic lesion showed acute enlargement and intrauterine sclerotherapy using OK-432 was performed at 26 weeks. The size of the cyst initially decreased, which was followed by a gradual increase. A viable 3,098 g male infant was delivered by cesarean section at 37 weeks without any other complications. The infant had no clinical difficulty during the neonatal period and later underwent a surgical removal of the remaining cystic lesion. Cases of fetal cystic hygroma showing acute enlargement without other complications are considered good candidates for intrauterine therapy to prevent subsequent complications.