Non-fetal edema is the final result of some intrauterine fetal diseases, as a result of which fluid accumulates in the body cavities, a swelling of the tissues takes place, and a huge insufficiency in the breathing very quickly develops.
At the same time everything ends very badly - in 60-80% of cases, a lethal outcome occurs, despite the progress of modern medicine and existing methods of treatment.
Survival depends on the period at which the baby was born and the severity of those diseases that preceded the development of dropsy. If childbirth begins early, the chances of a child's survival are reduced. A positive result of treatment of a nonimmune fetal dropsy is possible only if the fetus is diagnosed early and diagnose the etiological factor of the fetus, which will allow estimating the prognosis and determining the available possibilities and tactics of treating this pathology.
Causes of fetal dropsy
There are such causes of non-immune fetal dropsy:
- diseases of the cardiovascular system, such as congenital heart disease, cardiac rhythm disturbance, arterio-venous shunts, hollow vein thrombosis;
- chromosomal abnormalities: Down syndrome, triploidy, monosomy X (Shereshevsky-Turner syndrome);
- abnormalities in the chest cavity: diaphragmatic hernia, congenital lung disease, dysplasia of the thorax;
- gene diseases: syndromes Noonan, Pena-Choqueta, tanatophoric dwarfism, multiple pterygium syndrome, achondroplasia, achondrogenesis, etc .;
- infections: congenital syphilis, toxoplasmosis, cytomegaly, viral pancarditis
- placental transfusion syndrome;
- chorioangioma of the placenta;
- congenital nephrotic syndrome, malformations of the kidneys, urethra.
Dropsy of the brain in the fetus
Congenital hydrops of the brain is also called hydrocephalus. The condition is characterized by excessive accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. The fluid puts pressure on the child's brain, which can lead to mental retardation and physical handicaps. According to studies, approximately 1 child out of 1,000 is born with this disease. Fight the disease you need to start as early as possible. Then there is the hope of reducing serious and long-term complications.
The main symptom of dropsy of the brain is a large head. Its disproportion is noticeable immediately after birth or during the first 9 months after. To confirm the diagnosis, a brain scan, MRI, ultrasound or computed tomography is performed. It is extremely important to diagnose the disease early and start treatment at an early stage of its development - in the first three to four months of the child's life. Treatment consists in surgical intervention to establish a shunt (tube) to remove cerebrospinal fluid.
Children with congenital hydrocephalus are at risk of various developmental anomalies. They often need special types of therapy, such as physio- or speech therapy.