Medica Genetic Center, Gomel, Belarus.

Case report

The following images show a case of occipital meningocele diagnosed in a fetus of a 27-year-old woman who presented to our department for the first time at 11 weeks of her pregnancy. The first ultrasound found the fetus with 1.3 mm long nasal bone, 4.7 mm thick nuchal translucency, increased frontomaxillary angle and normal ductus venosus waveform. Chorionic villus sampling was done and revealed normal karyotype 46, XX. One week later the nuchal translucency had become larger (6.6 mm) and a defect of the occipital bone, at the level of the foramen magnum, with protruding meninges was observed. The pregnancy was interrupted soon afterwards.

Images 1, 2: Increased nuchal translucency thickness and frontomaxillary angle of the fetus.

Images 3, 4: Defect of the occipital bone at the level of the foramen ovale can be seen. Meninges protrude out of the defect. 

Images 5, 6: 12 weeks; image 5 shows the small defect of the occipital bone (2.7 mm). Image 6 shows detailed view of the occipital defect.

Images 7, 8: 12 weeks; 3D images of the fetus with occipital meningocele. These images show abnormal contour of the nuchal region caused by the meningocele.