Sirenomelia in a Nigerian triplet: a case report.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:

Sirenomelia, also known as mermaid syndrome, is a very rare fatal congenital abnormality in which the legs are fused together, giving them the appearance of a mermaid's tail. It is commonly associated with abnormal kidney development, genital and rectal abnormalities. A handful of cases have been reported in other parts of the world, however, no cases have previously been reported in a Nigerian neonate. To the best of our knowledge, we believe that this is the first case reported from West Africa and in a triplet.

CASE PRESENTATION:

A 16-hour-old baby boy, the second of a set of Nigerian triplets, presented to our facility with fusion of the entire lower limbs, imperforate anus, indiscernible genital structures, single umbilical artery and a neural tube defect. His parents were from the Hausa ethnic group and not related.

CONCLUSION:

Sirenomelia has not been previously described in a set of triplets, and it is hoped that this report from West Africa will give information about the non-racial predilection of this condition.

• Authors: Rosemary O Ugwu, Augusta U Eneh, Woroma Wonodi
• Journal: Journal of medical case reports (J Med Case Rep) Vol. 5 Pg. 426 (Sep 02 2011) ISSN: 1752-1947 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 21888626 (Publication Type: Journal Article)