Prune Belly Syndrome - A Rare Presentation in Ghanaian Neonate

Abstract

Prune Belly Syndrome (PBS) is a rare congenital anomaly characterized by deficiency or absence of abdominal muscles, cryptorchidism and severe urinary tract abnormalities. Although it is thought to be more common in people of African descent in the USA, there are few reports of the syndrome from countries in Africa including Nigeria and Rwanda. Prenatal diagnosis through ultrasonogra-phy where the cardinal signs of hydronephrosis, bilateral hydroureters, megacystis and oligohy-dramnios are detected is increasingly becoming the norm. However, in resource limited settings where prenatal ultrasound services are not readily accessible or available, late postnatal presenta-tions with pulmonary hypoplasia are encountered. This study reports of a neonate who presented with difficulty in breathing and wrinkled abdomen to a tertiary center in the Northern region of Ghana.

Keywords: Prune Belly Syndrome, Ghanaian neonate, abdominal wall muscle deficiency