Prune Belly Syndrome Raffle

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Prune Belly syndrome, also known as Eagle-Barrett or triad syndrome, is a distinctive set of physical problems that a child is born with.
What are the symptoms of prune belly syndrome?
The syndrome may occur in varying degrees from mild to severe. The following are the most common symptoms of prune belly syndrome. However, each child may experience symptoms differently.

Symptoms may include:

• The abdomen may have a wrinkly appearance with multiple folds of skin.
• An abdominal mass may sit above the pubic bones - this is a result of an expanded bladder.
  
• The urinary tract organs may be easy to feel through the abdominal area.
  
• An outline of the intestines may be visualized through the abdomen including visualization of peristalsis (the worm-like movements of the intestines shifting food forward).
  
• Absence of testes in the scrotum may be present in males.
  
• There may be underdeveloped muscles of the abdomen preventing a child from sitting upright.
  
• A child may experience frequent urinary tract infections (usually uncommon in children younger than 5 years and unlikely in boys at any age, unless an obstruction is present).

What causes it?
The cause of the syndrome is unknown, but researchers believe that disruption of the growth of the fetus causes the problems to develop. It is thought that something blocks a part of the fetus' urinary tract, and this causes other parts of the tract to develop abnormally. Prune Belly syndrome occurs in 1 in 40,000 live births in the U.S.
How is it diagnosed?
Ultrasound during pregnancy can sometimes see the abnormal development of the bladder and urinary tract. While the fetus grows, fluid develops in its abdomen, which stretches larger and larger. The fluid is reabsorbed before birth, so when born the infant has a sagging or wrinkled abdomen (thus the "prune belly" name).
After birth, ultrasound and x-rays can determine what type of urinary tract abnormalities are present.
Unfortunately, Prune Belly syndrome can have severe effects on the infant. 20% of babies die before birth, and 30% die from kidney problems with the first two years of life. In the remaining 50% of infants there are varying degrees of urinary problems.
How is it treated?
There is no cure for the syndrome, but repairs to the urinary tract can be made. Some surgeons are attempting to correct problems on the fetus before it is born, but this has had mixed results. Children prone to urinary tract infections are given preventive antibiotics. Surgery can be done to bring a boy's testes down into his scrotum.
Sometimes despite the best treatment a child's kidneys will stop working (renal failure). The treatment for this is either dialysis or kidney transplantation.
Future research, Better surgical techniques, especially using laparoscopy, will make the necessary repair operations for a child with Prune Belly syndrome less difficult. As more is learned about the syndrome, treatments can be improved and more children helped to survive.