Two cases of non-haematological cause of fetal hydrops in at-risk pregnancies for homozygous α⁰-thalassemia

Abstract

In recent years, sonography has been successfully used as an alternative method for prenatal detection of Hb Bart's disease in areas with high prevalence of α-thalassemia. We present two cases in which the fetuses demonstrated signs of Hb Bart's disease by sonography, however, invasive procedures could not confirm it. We recommend that, in prenatal diagnosis of Hb Bart's disease by sonography, the diagnosis should always be confirmed with definitive methods to exclude false-positive findings.

Keywords:

• α-thalassemia
• Hb Bart's disease
• sonography
• prenatal diagnosis

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.