Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
DOI 10.1007/s00383-011-3046-6
REVIEW ARTICLE
Introduction
Prune belly syndrome (PBS) has been characterised by
deficient or absent abdominal wall musculature, hypotonia,
ectasia (that is pathophysiological dilatation or distension)
of the urinary system and bilateral intra-abdominal testes.
Methods
A literature search was conducted using PubMed. The term
prune belly syndrome was used and limited to humans.
A total of 642 publications were identified. Studies which
used a heterogeneous population of patients including PBS
were excluded. Case reports, apart from those describing
genetic associations, were also omitted. Seventy-two relevant articles were identified where the study population
consisted solely of PBS patients. Levels of evidence were
assessed the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network
(SIGN) grading system for recommendations in evidencebased guidelines [6].
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Cardiovascular (25%)
Gastrointestinal (24%)
Musculoskeletal (23%)
PDA
Malrotation (40%)
Scoliosis
Tetralogy of fallot
ASD
Splenic torsion
Club feet
VSD
Imperforate anus
Pectus carinatum
Valvular anomalies
Gastroschisis
Polydactylism
Omphalocele
Arthrogryposis
Cloacal anomaly
Hemivertebrae
Bilateral cervical ribs
Epidemiology
A recent review of the epidemiology of male infants with
PBS by Routh et al. [7] cited an incidence of 3.76 cases per
100,000 live births. An earlier study by Druschel et al. [8]
quoted an incidence in females of 1.1 per 100,000. Data
from the United States (US) indicates a significant increase
in incidence in the Afro-Caribbean population, with a
corresponding lower incidence in those of Hispanic origin
in comparison to the Caucasian population. There also
appears to be an increased incidence of PBS in children of
younger mothers [8].
There are reports of PBS occurring in association with
Trisomy 13, 18 and 21, but these cases are too few to
indicate a formal association with these genes [911].
There is some evidence to suggest a genetic influence in
PBS. There are 12 reported cases of familial PBS. Analysis
of these cases has implicated a sex hormone influenced
autosomal recessive mode of inheritance due to the male
predominance of the reported cases [12].
PBS is commoner in both monozygotic and dizygotic
twin pregnancies. Interestingly, in cases of monozygotic
twins, both discordance and concordance for PBS has been
reported, implying that inherited genetic mutations alone
cannot explain the pathogenesis of PBS [8, 13, 14].
An abnormality of hepatocyte nuclear factor 1b
(HNF1b) has been demonstrated in patients with sporadic
PBS. This transcription factor, expressed on chromosome
17, is found on numerous tissues in the body including
mesonephric duct derivatives, renal tubules of the metanephros and the developing prostate [15, 16].
Pathogenesis
Pathogenic theories of PBS include urethral obstruction
and a mesodermal developmental defect.
The theory of urethral obstruction was based mainly on
observations of postmortem specimens and the anatomy of
infants with PBS [17]. Urethral obstruction causes bladder
distension and urinary tract dilatation in the developing
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foetus. This distension prevents normal abdominal musculature development and testicular descent. Gonzalez
et al. [18] demonstrated PBS in sheep that had undergone
complete urethral obstruction between 43 and 45 days
gestation.
This theory fits neatly with cases of PBS, which feature
urethral atresia but does not explain PBS when the urethra
is patent, or the failure to develop the PBS phenotype in
cases of posterior urethral valves. Delayed canalization of
the urethra during the 11th16th weeks of gestation has
been proposed as a possible mechanism [19]. Transient
urethral obstruction at a critical time in the development of
the urinary tract may be responsible. One hypothesis is the
presence of a hypoplastic prostate, which occurs due to a
focal insult to the developing urogenital sinus mesoderm.
The resultant hypoplastic prostate may cause the unsupported membranous urethra to twist, or to create a flap
valve mechanism resulting in transient urethral obstruction
[20]. This is supported by the presence of generalized
prostatic hypoplasia found in PBS patients [21].
The other main theory in PBS is a failure of mesodermal
development [22]. As the urinary tract, abdominal wall
musculature, kidneys and the prostate gland, all affected in
PBS, share a mesodermal origin, this appears attractive. An
insult to the mesodermal layer during the early stages of
gestation should impact on other organ systems, however,
which is not the case in PBS. Perhaps more importantly,
the cause of the insult to the mesodermal layer has not been
identified.
Diagnosis
Antenatal diagnosis in the second trimester is now the most
common presentation of PBS [23]. Cases of trans-abdominal ultrasound diagnosis between 11 and 14 weeks of
gestation have been reported [2325]. Key elements in the
sonographic diagnosis of PBS include bilateral hydroureter
and hydronephrosis, a distended, thin-walled bladder and
oligohydramnios [26]. Oligohydramnios implies reduced
urine output, poor renal function and subsequent lung
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Postnatal presentation
Classification of PBS, proposed by Woodard [35], was
based on antenatal and anatomical features (Table 2), with
Category 2 (40%)
Category 3 (40%)
Oligohydramnios
Hydroureteronephrosis
Renal dysplasia
Uropathy
Renal dysplasia
Club feet
Risk of urosepsis
Risk of azotemia
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Fig. 6 Monfort technique: this technique involves extensive dissection of both lateral fascial plates prior to a double-breasted midline
closure
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Conclusion
This review highlights the complexities of patients with
PBS and the difficult management decisions that are faced.
The literature, while informative, has been predominately
retrospective reviews from single institutions reporting
treatment options and outcomes. A more collaborative
approach is now required in the form of multicentre prospective randomized studies assessing specific treatment
outcomes. Without this, we will be none the wiser over the
coming decades into the correct management of these
complex set of patients.
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