International Journal of Health Sciences

Congenital Malformations of a Fetus in a Single Horn of a Bicornuate Uterus: A Case Study
Brittany Stanek, PA-S; Justin David, PA-S; Daniel Coovert, PhD

Abstract
A bicornuate uterus, or “heart-shaped” uterus, occurs secondary to incomplete fusion of the Müllerian ducts and lack of resorption of the uterine septum around 5 weeks of gestation. It is estimated that about 1-3% of women have some degree of uterine malformation, with bicornuate uteri consisting of about 25% of those anomalies. Pregnancy in a bicornuate uterus has been shown in correlation with recurrent miscarriage, preterm labor, and malpresentation of the baby. We follow a case of a 29 year old female with a known bicornuate uterus through her second pregnancy. She presented with live intrauterine pregnancy without complication until 16 weeks gestation when a congenital malformation was found via ultrasound. Serial ultrasounds revealed three large defects, which lead to the patient electing for dilation and evacuation at 20 weeks gestation due to a low chance of survival of the fetus. There is some research that shows a higher rate of birth defects in mothers with a bicornuate uterus. It is unclear whether or not the congenital malformations of the fetus were correlated to the bicornuate uterus of the mother.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/ijhs.v4n3a3