Third trimester diagnosis of body stalk anomaly in a dichorionic diamniotic twin pregnancy.

Abstract

This is a case report of a G1P0 woman in her early 30s with a dichorionic diamniotic twin gestation with limited prenatal care and a third trimester diagnosis of body stalk anomaly (BSA) in one of the twins. Initially diagnosed with an omphalocele, the patient established care in our centre at 31 weeks gestation, and numerous anomalies were noted on ultrasound. However, definitive characterisation was limited by the advanced gestational age and maternal body habitus. Fetal MRI clearly demonstrated anomalies consistent with BSA. A scheduled caesarean delivery was performed at 36 weeks in the setting of severe pre-eclampsia and fetal growth restriction of the unaffected twin. The affected twin was stillborn and post-mortem inspection confirmed the prenatal diagnosis of BSA with abdominal contents adherent to the placenta. This case highlights the role of fetal MRI in the late diagnosis of multiorgan anomalies, particularly when ultrasound imaging is limited.