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Non‐immune hydrops fetalis: A short review of etiology and pathophysiology
Author(s) -
Bellini Carlo,
Hennekam Raoul CM
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
american journal of medical genetics part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.064
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1552-4833
pISSN - 1552-4825
DOI - 10.1002/ajmg.a.34438
Subject(s) - hydrops fetalis , etiology , immune system , medicine , fetus , immunology , pathology , biology , pregnancy , genetics
Hydrops fetalis is an excessive accumulation of fetal fluid. Hydrops is traditionally classified into either immune or non‐immune hydrops (NIHF), but in practice, nowadays in the Western world >90% of hydrops is of non‐immune origin. The basis of the disorder is an imbalance in the regulation of fetal fluid movement between the vascular and interstitial space. We previously suggested a diagnostic flow‐chart for NIHF. In this short review we describe the main mechanisms leading to NIHF. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.