ABSTRACT:

Limb body wall complex /Body stalk anomaly refers to a rare complicated polymal formative fetal malformation syndrome of uncertain etiology. LBWC was first described by Van Allen et al; in (1987)1.The two of the three following anomalies must be present to establish the diagnosis:1. Exencephaly /Encephalocele with facial clefts.2. Thoraco –Abdominoschisis/ventral body wall defects. 3.Limb defects. No case of postnatal survival is reported so far. It presents two distinct phenotypes described by Russo et al. (1993)2and later Cusi et alin (1996)3, according to the foetoplacental relationships.1. Placento-cranial and 2.Placento-abdominal types. Limb body wall complex is invariably fatal and incompatible with life. Serum alpha-fetoprotein measurement and ultrasonography examination is the key to the prenatal diagnosis and followed by medical termination of pregnancy. Among the 168 livebirths at S.V.S. Medical College& hospital Mahaboonagar (INDIA) during the period of 2010-2011 we came across an aborted female fetus. It was weighing 1800gms, 30 weeks of gestation diagnosed by antenatal ultrasonography as ventral body wall defect. It was associated with ompholocele, severe scoliosis and limb defects.Its confirmation of the diagnosis of Limb body wall complex with Placento-abdominal type was done by postmortem fetography.

Keywords: limb body wall complex (LBWC), ultrasonography, abdominal defects; fetal malformations.