VACTERL ASSOCIATION. CLINICAL CASE AND LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

VACTERL association is a condition involving the presence of multiple congenital anomalies: vertebral/ vascular defects (including single umbilical artery), anal atresia, cardiovascular defects, tracheal-esophageal fistula, radial and limb dysplasia. This condition found in 1–9:100 000 live births, there is no evidence for single, unifying cause for this multiple defects. About 90 % of cases of VACTERL association appear to be sporadic. Diagnosis is made on clinical grounds. There is no strict diagnostic criteria, though most researches require the presence at least of three congenital development defects for diagnosis. There must be no clinical or laboratory-based evidence of an alternate diagnosis. The main diagnostic tool is accurate antenatal ultrasound examination by an experienced examiner. Due to modern surgical techniques and specialized hospitalisation unites, infants born with VACTERL association have a much better prognosis than decades ago. In this article we present a clinical case of VACTERL association.