Prenatal and differential diagnosis of fetal thoracolumbar lymphangioma.

Prenatal and differential diagnosis of fetal thoracolumbar lymphangioma.

We present a case of a woman in her mid-30s at 21 weeks of gestation referred to our tertiary medical center by an outside clinic with an ultrasound finding of a cystic septated lesion on the left side of the fetal chest.The differential diagnosis included, among others, foetal nuchal oedema, cystic hygroma, meningocele, encephalocele, cervical teratoma, haemangioma and subchorionic placental cyst. The sonographic finding of lack of intralesional vascularity on Doppler, seemingly without communication with the spinal canal, pointed us towards a diagnosis of foetal cystic lymphangioma. Our diagnosis was confirmed postnatally.Foetal cystic lymphangiomas are rare benign congenital tumours of the vascular and lymphatic systems. The differential diagnosis is broad, and a timely diagnosis positively affects the prognosis. If a lymphangioma is suspected, we suggest referral to specialists in maternal-foetal medicine with expertise in the field.