Is Amniotic Fluid Level a Predictor for Syndromic Diagnosis in Robin Sequence?

OBJECTIVE:: The purpose of this study was to determine whether gestational amniotic fluid level abnormalities were associated with postnatal syndromic status in a series of patients with Robin sequence (RS).

DESIGN:: Retrospective study of participants with RS at Boston Children's Hospital from 1967 to 2017. Participants were divided into syndromic and nonsyndromic groups. The primary predictor variable was postnatal syndromic diagnosis (yes/no). Additional predictor variables included gestational age at birth, birthweight, sex, presence of cleft palate, and other congenital anomalies. The primary outcome variable was amniotic fluid level (normal, oligohydramnios, or polyhydramnios). Descriptive statistics were computed and logistic regression was used to analyze amniotic fluid level as a predictor for syndromic diagnosis. Statistical significance was set at P < .05.

RESULTS:: Sixty-five (54%) syndromic and 56 (46%) nonsyndromic RS participants were included. An abnormal amniotic fluid level was seen significantly more frequently in the syndromic group (49.2% vs 25.0%; P = .001). Abnormal amniotic fluid level was associated with a 2.9-fold increased likelihood of a syndromic diagnosis ( P = .007). Polyhydramnios, which was seen more frequently than oligohydramnios, predicted a 4.18 times increased likelihood of a syndromic diagnosis ( P = .003).

CONCLUSIONS:: Abnormal amniotic fluid level, particularly polyhydramnios, is associated with an increased likelihood of a syndromic diagnosis in patients with RS.