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Case Series
Iniencephaly: Prenatal diagnosis and management—Case report
1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yekatit 12 Hospital Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Tewodros Getahun Asfaw
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yekatit 12 Hospital Medical College, Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia
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Article ID: 101527Z01TA2025
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Asfaw TG, Dina BK, Wube YT. Iniencephaly: Prenatal diagnosis and management—Case report. Int J Case Rep Images 2025;16(2):79–83.ABSTRACT
Introduction: Iniencephaly is a rare and complex neural tube defect characterized by significant deformities in the cervical and thoracic spine, resulting in an extremely retroflexed head. Although environmental and genetic factors have been proposed as potential causes, the precise etiology and pathogenesis are not well understood. Prenatal diagnosis of iniencephaly through ultrasound is rare, but it can often be confirmed with a second-trimester ultrasound. Due to its almost universally fatal prognosis, pregnancy termination is often considered when this condition is diagnosed before the fetus reaches age of viability.
Case Report: We present two cases of prenatal iniencephaly diagnosis, which, to the best of our knowledge, represent the second documented instances of iniencephaly diagnosis in Ethiopia, where the condition was first identified during Fetal Anatomic Scanning.
Conclusion: Iniencephaly is a severe and devastating condition that demands early prenatal diagnosis and counseling. Timely anatomic scanning enables an accurate diagnosis and provides families with the essential information to make informed decisions. In this case, early diagnosis facilitated appropriate management, including pregnancy termination, and was followed by a smooth post-expulsion period.
Keywords: Ethiopia, Iniencephaly, Neural tube defect, Prenatal diagnosis
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Acknowledgments
We would like to acknowledge and express our gratitude to all the management teams who were involved in overseeing the care of these mothers during their time at our hospital. Their dedication and teamwork played a vital role in ensuring the best possible care and support. Additionally, we would like to thank the mothers for their willingness to be presented as cases, their cooperation in providing the necessary data, and their commitment to attending regular follow-up appointments. The author used generative AI technology, specifically canva.com/ photo-editor/were used for editing figures and images. All content, including text and images, was reviewed and verified by the author to ensure factual accuracy and originality. The author takes full responsibility for the final manuscript.
Author ContributionsTewodros Getahun Asfaw - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Birhanu Kebede Dina - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Yared Tesfaye Wube - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Analysis of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Guarantor of SubmissionThe corresponding author is the guarantor of submission.
Source of SupportNone
Consent StatementWritten informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this article.
Data AvailabilityAll relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.
Conflict of InterestAuthors declare no conflict of interest.
Copyright© 2025 Tewodros Getahun Asfaw et al. This article is distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original author(s) and original publisher are properly credited. Please see the copyright policy on the journal website for more information.
