On the inheritance of Harlequin ichthyosis

Prenatal diagnosis of harlequin ichthyosis: a case report

Harlequin ichthyosis (HI) is a rare and severe form of ichthyosis and is characterized by thickened, hard, armor-like plates of skin that cover the entire body. This disease is caused by mutations in the adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporter protein A12 gene, and the pattern of inheritance is autosomal recessive. Prenatal sonographic diagnosis of HI has not been frequently reported. Here, we report a case of HI detected at 28 weeks of gestation and discuss with the sonographic findings and a brief review of literature. The diagnosis was reached mainly based on 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional ultrasound findings. Three-dimensional ultrasound applications help recognize facial morphology, and thus, greatly contributes to prenatal diagnoses.

Harlequin fetus: three-dimensional sonographic findings and new diagnostic approach

Congenital ichthyosis, otherwise known as harlequin fetus, is a severe, generally lethal, anomaly. Prenatal diagnosis is usually possible in families at risk but requires invasive fetoscopy for skin biopsy. The application of three-dimensional ultrasound enables a greatly improved analysis of the facial morphology and thus provides an important contribution to prenatal diagnosis. Although such three-dimensional diagnostic procedures are performed in specialized centers, sonographers should be aware of the signs observed at routine two-dimensional ultrasound examination in order to ensure appropriate referral for diagnosis. We describe two consecutive pregnancies of the same parents in which two- and three-dimensional ultrasound were used in the prenatal diagnosis of harlequin fetus.