Very Early In-Utero Diagnosis of Walker-Warburg Phenotype: The Cutting Edge of Technology.

BACKGROUND: Walker-Warburg phenotype is a severe and lethal autosomal recessive disorder, belonging to a group of congenital malformations defined as abnormal pial basement membrane formation. So far, prenatal diagnosis was considered possible only during late pregnancy.

METHODS: First trimester assessment of a pregnancy suspected to be affected by Walker-Warburg phenotype, using a high-resolution transvaginal ultrasound probe (6-12 MHz), T2 MR imaging (1.5T), molecular genetics and histopathology.

RESULTS: Very early diagnosis of the Walker-Warburg phenotype at 11 weeks of gestation proved possible by depicting the classic signs of this entity, confirmed by molecular genetics, post-abortion MR imaging and histopathology.

CONCLUSION: Advancements in ultrasound equipment and technology, molecular genetics and histopathology have made very early detection of this syndrome possible, thus shedding new light on the natural history of this malformation.