Prune belly syndrome: A report of 15 cases from Sudan

Prune belly syndrome is a rare congenital malformation of unknown aetiology, composed of a triad of deficient abdominal wall muscle, cryptorchidism and urinary tract anomalies. The majority of patients have associated pulmonary, skeletal, cardiac, and gastrointestinal defects. This was a prospective, case finding study that was conducted in the main paediatric hospitals in Khartoum state, during the period December 2015 to September 2016. A total of 15 patients with prune belly syndrome were collected. Patients' characteristics were noted including socio-demographic data, laboratory and radiological investigations and any medical or surgical intervention. There were 12 males and 3 females with a male to female ratio of 4:1. Most of the patients (80%) had hydronephrosis and hydroureter. The study revealed that 60% of the patients had associated anomalies, there were 4 (26.6%) with cardiac defects, 3 (20%) with orthopaedic defects one patient with small bowel volvulus and one patient with cleft lip. 6 (40%) patients received medical intervention and 8 (53%) patients underwent surgical procedures. At the last follow up visit, 2 (13.4%) patients had normal renal function tests, 8 (53.3%) ended with chronic kidney disease, and 5 died with a mortality rate of 33.3%. Prune belly syndrome is a rare entity with wide variability in severity and clinical manifestations. The mortality in prune belly syndrome remains high despite medical and surgical interventions.