Prenatal diagnosis of intrathoracic stomach (gastric herniation)

Intrathoracic stomach is a rare and serious congenital abnormality. The anomaly may be complicated by gastric volvulus and can lead to ischemic gastric infarction in the neonate. If diagnosed antenatally, neonatal management can be planned in advance so as to reduce morbidity. This anomaly must be differentiated from the more common congenital diaphragmatic hernia, as associated pulmonary hypoplasia is common in the latter and rare with gastric herniation. We report an infant born to a mother with Marfan's syndrome with the antenatal diagnosis of intrathoracic stomach. The ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging features of this congenital abnormality are described. A review of the literature would indicate that this is the first case report of gastric volvulus diagnosed in utero.