The fetal cystic hygroma is characterized by the accumulation of abnormal lymphatic fluid located in a part of the baby's body that is identified on ultrasound during pregnancy. Treatment may be surgical or with sclerotherapy depending on the severity and the condition of the baby.
Diagnosis of fetal cystic hygroma
The diagnosis of fetal cystic hygroma can be made through an exam called nuchal translucency in the first, second or third trimester of gestation.
Often the presence of the cystic hygroma fetal is related to Turner syndrome, Down syndrome or Edward syndrome that are genetic diseases that have no cure, but there are cases where there is no genetic syndrome involved, this abnormality being only a change of vessels lymph nodes located in the baby's neck.
But these babies are more likely to suffer from heart disease, the circulatory system, or the skeletal system.
Treatment for fetal cystic hygroma
Treatment for the fetal cystic hygroma is usually done by local application of an Ok432 injection, a medicine that reduces the size of the cyst, eliminating it almost completely in a single application.
However, because one does not know exactly what causes the tumor and thus can not eliminate it, the cyst may reappear some time later, necessitating another treatment.
When the cyst is located within important structures such as the brain or very close to vital organs, the risk / benefit of surgery for tumor removal should be evaluated. However, most of the time the cystic hygroma occurs in the posterior region of the neck, a region that can easily be treated, without leaving sequels.
Useful links:
- Cystic hygroma
- Does cystic hygroma have a cure?
