Prenatal sonographic diagnosis of a hiatal hernia in a fetus with asplenia syndrome

It is well documented that asplenia syndrome is frequently associated with complex congenital heart diseases.(1-3) In addition, infants with asplenia syndrome are also likely to have a variety of gastrointestinal abnormalities,(1,2,4-6) and treatment to prevent or minimize gastrointestinal complications is currently emphasized. Some previous reports have described an association between hiatal hernias and asplenia syndrome 4,7 11; however, a hiatal hernia is usually diagnosed after symptoms present during infancy or childhood. To our knowledge, prenatal sonographic detection of a hiatal hernia in a fetus with asplenia syndrome has not been reported previously. Here we present our experience and describe the prenatal diagnosis of a congenital hiatal hernia in a fetus with asplenia syndrome.