Prenatal Diagnosis and Perinatal Management of Acrania Progressing to Anencephaly
4 affiliations
- 1Quantitative Biomedical Science Program, Dartmouth College, Hanover, USA
- 2Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Catholic University of Honduras, San Pedro Sula, HND
- 3Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, USA
- 4Department of Radiology, Hospital Civil de Guadalajara Fray Antonio Alcalde, Guadalajara, MEX
Abstract
Acrania is a severe congenital malformation characterized by partial or complete absence of the cranial vault. We report the case of a 24-year-old woman (G2P1) who presented at 34+1 weeks of gestation with labor contractions. Prenatal care began at 7 weeks, and ultrasound examinations at 12 and 25 weeks confirmed fetal acrania with persistent breech presentation. Given the advanced gestational age, persistent breech presentation, and multidisciplinary counseling, cesarean delivery was performed. A 3,100g neonate was delivered with anomalies consistent with the prenatal diagnosis and died 10 hours later while receiving comfort-focused palliative care. The mother recovered uneventfully and was discharged in stable condition. This case highlights the clinical importance of early prenatal recognition of acrania and individualized perinatal planning, particularly when the diagnosis persists into advanced gestation. Early diagnosis facilitates informed counseling and coordinated obstetric and neonatal management, including appropriate preparation for palliative care.
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BibTeX
@article{alaspineda2026prenatal,
title = {{Prenatal Diagnosis and Perinatal Management of Acrania Progressing to Anencephaly}},
author = {Cesar Alas-Pineda and Oswaldo Montes Bardales and Anahi Pacheco and Sendy Ruiz and Elijah J Remis and Simmons Gough},
journal = {Cureus},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.7759/cureus.117228},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13722088},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Prenatal Diagnosis and Perinatal Management of Acrania Progressing to Anencephaly
AU - Cesar Alas-Pineda
AU - Oswaldo Montes Bardales
AU - Anahi Pacheco
AU - Sendy Ruiz
AU - Elijah J Remis
AU - Simmons Gough
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Cureus
DO - 10.7759/cureus.117228
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13722088
AB - Acrania is a severe congenital malformation characterized by partial or complete absence of the cranial vault. We report the case of a 24-year-old woman (G2P1) who presented at 34+1 weeks of gestation with labor contractions. Prenatal care began at 7 weeks, and ultrasound examinations at 12 and 25 weeks confirmed fetal acrania with persistent breech presentation. Given the advanced gestational age, persistent breech presentation, and multidisciplinary counseling, cesarean delivery was performed. A 3,100g neonate was delivered with anomalies consistent with the prenatal diagnosis and died 10 hours later while receiving comfort-focused palliative care. The mother recovered uneventfully and was discharged in stable condition. This case highlights the clinical importance of early prenatal recognition of acrania and individualized perinatal planning, particularly when the diagnosis persists into advanced gestation. Early diagnosis facilitates informed counseling and coordinated obstetric and neonatal management, including appropriate preparation for palliative care.
SN - 2168-8184
ER -