Anal atresia can be divided into high type and low type depending on the relationship between the distal rectal pouch and the puborectalis muscle. Prenatal diagnosis of anal atresia is very challenging. Direct findings include no PAMC perianal muscular complex and no target sign hypoechoic anal sphincter and echogenic anal mucosa. A visible echogenic anal mucosa excludes all cases of high atresia and most cases of low atresia, with the exception of the mildest cases with only a thin membrane covering the anal opening.
Anorectal Malformation (ARM) or Imperforate Anus: Female
Anorectal Malformations | Symptoms & Causes | Boston Children's Hospital
Anorectal malformations are birth defects, or problems that happen as an unborn baby is developing during pregnancy. They are the lower part of the digestive tract. Ano means the anus. This is the opening at the end of the large intestine. Stool passes through here when there is a bowel movement.
Prenatal Diagnosis of Anal Atresia – A Case Report
Anorectal malformations such as imperforate anus cause abnormalities in the way a baby has a bowel movement. These problems vary depending on the type of malformation:. As a fetus is growing in its mother's uterus, all organ systems are developing and maturing at different rates. Certain steps have to take place in the seventh to tenth weeks of gestation for the rectum and anus to separate from the urinary tract and form properly.
An imperforate anus is a birth defect that happens while your baby is still growing in the womb. It occurs more often in boys than girls. The rectum, bladder, and vagina of a female baby with an imperforate anus sometimes share one large opening. This opening is called a cloaca.