Antenatal Diagnosis and Management of Nuchal Cystic Hygroma

Ultrasonographic evaluation, as a routine component of antenatal care, has significantly contributed to in utero assessment of pregnancy status. The detection of fetal abnormalities by ultrasound, however, has raised clinical questions and created parental dilemmas concerning the outcomes of such pregnancies. A relatively frequent anomaly observed on routine ultrasonographic examination is the posterior nuchal cystic hygroma. Most cases of cystic hygromas are associated with chromosomal abnormalities. Only 2 to 3% survival rate is reported when fetal cystic hygromas are diagnosed in utero. This information should be helpful when counseling patients whose pregnancies involve fetuses with this anomaly. We report a case of nuchal cystic hygroma diagnosed in the second trimester of pregnancy with the aid of an ultrasonographic morphological analysis. Parents requested termination of pregnancy.