Mermaid in Pathology from Greek Mythology: A Rare Association with Amelia

Sirenomelia, also known as mermaid syndrome, is a rare congenital anomaly, with an incidence of 1 in 100,000 live births. It is characterized by variable degrees of fusion of the lower limbs and anomalies of the genitourinary system and gastrointestinal system. We report a 24-week fetus with complet...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Chikkanaganna P. Manjula, Vijay Karthik Pranav, V. Kusuma, Shilpashree Varadaraj
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2024-12-01
Series:Archives of Medicine and Health Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/amhs.amhs_299_23
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1841556957807247360
author Chikkanaganna P. Manjula
Vijay Karthik Pranav
V. Kusuma
Shilpashree Varadaraj
author_facet Chikkanaganna P. Manjula
Vijay Karthik Pranav
V. Kusuma
Shilpashree Varadaraj
author_sort Chikkanaganna P. Manjula
collection DOAJ
description Sirenomelia, also known as mermaid syndrome, is a rare congenital anomaly, with an incidence of 1 in 100,000 live births. It is characterized by variable degrees of fusion of the lower limbs and anomalies of the genitourinary system and gastrointestinal system. We report a 24-week fetus with completely fused lower limbs, absent left upper limb, and Potter’s facies. Absent external genitalia, imperforate anus, bilateral renal agenesis, blind intestinal loop, and single umbilical artery were other findings. X-ray imaging confirmed the fused lower limb bones and was typed as sympus apus or sirenomelia, Type VII of the Stocker and Heifetz classification. Caudal hypoperfusion due to the aberrant blood supply and an embryologic insult to the caudal mesoderm along with gestational diabetes play a role. Sirenomelia is not compatible with life in the majority of the cases as there is bilateral renal agenesis. It is a very rare congenital anomaly among the mermaid syndromes, hence requires documentation.
format Article
id doaj-art-99b4fec8c43048fdbdb6245282678cf2
institution Kabale University
issn 2321-4848
2321-6085
language English
publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
record_format Article
series Archives of Medicine and Health Sciences
spelling doaj-art-99b4fec8c43048fdbdb6245282678cf22025-01-07T05:05:32ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsArchives of Medicine and Health Sciences2321-48482321-60852024-12-0112340941210.4103/amhs.amhs_299_23Mermaid in Pathology from Greek Mythology: A Rare Association with AmeliaChikkanaganna P. ManjulaVijay Karthik PranavV. KusumaShilpashree VaradarajSirenomelia, also known as mermaid syndrome, is a rare congenital anomaly, with an incidence of 1 in 100,000 live births. It is characterized by variable degrees of fusion of the lower limbs and anomalies of the genitourinary system and gastrointestinal system. We report a 24-week fetus with completely fused lower limbs, absent left upper limb, and Potter’s facies. Absent external genitalia, imperforate anus, bilateral renal agenesis, blind intestinal loop, and single umbilical artery were other findings. X-ray imaging confirmed the fused lower limb bones and was typed as sympus apus or sirenomelia, Type VII of the Stocker and Heifetz classification. Caudal hypoperfusion due to the aberrant blood supply and an embryologic insult to the caudal mesoderm along with gestational diabetes play a role. Sirenomelia is not compatible with life in the majority of the cases as there is bilateral renal agenesis. It is a very rare congenital anomaly among the mermaid syndromes, hence requires documentation.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/amhs.amhs_299_23ameliamermaid syndromepotters faciesrenal agenesis
spellingShingle Chikkanaganna P. Manjula
Vijay Karthik Pranav
V. Kusuma
Shilpashree Varadaraj
Mermaid in Pathology from Greek Mythology: A Rare Association with Amelia
Archives of Medicine and Health Sciences
amelia
mermaid syndrome
potters facies
renal agenesis
title Mermaid in Pathology from Greek Mythology: A Rare Association with Amelia
title_full Mermaid in Pathology from Greek Mythology: A Rare Association with Amelia
title_fullStr Mermaid in Pathology from Greek Mythology: A Rare Association with Amelia
title_full_unstemmed Mermaid in Pathology from Greek Mythology: A Rare Association with Amelia
title_short Mermaid in Pathology from Greek Mythology: A Rare Association with Amelia
title_sort mermaid in pathology from greek mythology a rare association with amelia
topic amelia
mermaid syndrome
potters facies
renal agenesis
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/amhs.amhs_299_23
work_keys_str_mv AT chikkanagannapmanjula mermaidinpathologyfromgreekmythologyarareassociationwithamelia
AT vijaykarthikpranav mermaidinpathologyfromgreekmythologyarareassociationwithamelia
AT vkusuma mermaidinpathologyfromgreekmythologyarareassociationwithamelia
AT shilpashreevaradaraj mermaidinpathologyfromgreekmythologyarareassociationwithamelia