Anembryonic gestation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| ICD-10 | O02.0 |
|---|---|
| ICD-9 | 631 |
An anembryonic gestation (aka blighted ovum) is a pregnancy in which a visible embryo never develops within a normal-appearing gestational sac, which likely occurs as a result of early embryonic death with continued development of the trophoblast. When small, the sac cannot be distinguished from the early normal pregnancy, as there may be a yolk sac, though a fetal pole is not seen.
This is one of the causes of miscarriage of a pregnancy.
For diagnosis, the sac must be of sufficient size that the absence of normal embryonic elements is established.
A pregnancy is anembryonic if a transvaginal ultrasound reveals a sac with a mean gestational sac diameter (MGD) greater than 13 mm and no yolk sac, or a MGD >18 mm with no embryo.
Many centers offer mothers a follow-up ultrasound 10 days later to verify diagnosis.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Douglas S. Richards (2003). Spontaneous abortion- Anembryonic gestation. Ob/Gyn Ultrasound. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Florida. - includes ultrasound images with descriptions
