Objective: To assess intrauterine growth in a series of nine fetuses diagnosed with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome.
Methods: Infants confirmed postnatally to have Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome were identified from records maintained in the Division of Clinical Genetics. Antenatal ultrasound and birth records were evaluated. Head circumference (HC), abdominal circumference (AC), and estimated fetal weight (EFW) were assigned percentiles based on gestational age. Newborn HC and birth weight were also assigned percentiles. Polyhydramnios was diagnosed using either amniotic fluid index or documented subjective assessment.
Results: Nine infants with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome had antenatal ultrasound examinations. Seven of these had more than one examination. Two infants were suspected to have Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome in utero. Important ultrasound findings included omphalocele (four), enlarged liver and kidneys (one), and enlarged liver (one). Fetal tongue protrusion on ultrasound was not identified in any fetus. Six of nine fetuses (66%) with ultrasound examinations after 25 weeks' gestation had polyhydramnios. Evaluation of the fetal HC, AC, and EFW percentiles demonstrated that fetuses with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome may exhibit accelerated growth as early as 25-30 weeks' gestation, but may exceed the 90th percentile only after 36 weeks' gestation.
Conclusions: Fetuses with omphalocele, polyhydramnios, and an AC less than the 90th percentile may have Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome. Polyhydramnios and accelerated growth beginning between 25 and 36 weeks' gestation, even without omphalocele, should alert the physician to the possibility of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome.