Sirenomelia: The mermaid syndrome - A rare case report

Abstract

Background: Mermaid syndrome, also known as Sirenomelia, a rare congenital anomaly in which the legs are fused together, giving the appearance of a tail of a mermaid from Greek mythology, occurring 1 in 1,00,000 live births. Most of such pregnancies ended in stillbirths. Case: Our case describes A 24-year-old, primigravida presented with 34 weeks of gestation age clinically oligohydramnios and fetal bradycardia and emergency LSCS was done in view of fetal distress and delivered a newborn baby had gross anomalies like narrow chest indicating lung hypoplasia, fused both lower limbs and feet with 10 toes absence of external genitalia, imperforate anus and single umbilical artery. The baby was shifted to NICU but died 3hours postpartum due to severe respiratory distress. Conclusion: Sirenomelia, a lethal congenital anomaly, can be diagnosed early prenatally, which is possible by emphasizing the importance of regular antenatal check-ups and anomaly scan at around 20weeks. So that the patient can be advised termination of pregnancy earlier.