Barış BOZA, Kübra Kurt BİLİRER, Hamdullah PEKKOLAY, Tuğçe ARSLANOĞLU
Journal of Health Sciences and Medicine - 2026;9(3):786-792
Aims: To evaluate prenatal ultrasonographic findings, diagnostic distribution, and pregnancy outcomes in fetuses diagnosed with cloacal anomalies and to correlate imaging features with disease severity and prognosis. Methods: This retrospective study included 21 fetuses prenatally diagnosed with cloacal anomalies at a tertiary referral center. Maternal demographics, gestational age at diagnosis, prenatal ultrasonographic features, genetic testing results, associated anomalies, and pregnancy outcomes were reviewed. Cloacal anomalies were classified as persistent cloaca, cloacal dysgenesis, cloacal exstrophy, omphalocele-exstrophy-imperforate anus-spinal (OEIS) defects complex, or exstrophy-epispadias complex (EEC). Results: The mean gestational age at diagnosis was 24.7 (+/-5.17) weeks. Persistent cloaca was the most common diagnosis (42.8%), followed by cloacal exstrophy (28.6%), cloacal dysgenesis (14.3%), OEIS defects complex complex (9.5%), and EEC (4.8%). The most frequent prenatal ultrasonographic findings were pyelectasis/hydronephrosis, a lower abdominal cystic mass, and absence of the anal dimple. Cloacal dysgenesis was associated with severe urinary tract obstruction, characterized by oligohydramnios, megacystis, and bilateral hydronephrosis. Termination of pregnancy was performed in 57.1% of cases, while 23.9% survived postoperatively and 19.0% resulted in postnatal death. Conclusion: Prenatal ultrasonography plays a crucial role in identifying cloacal anomalies. Recognition of specific imaging patterns is essential for differentiating cloacal dysgenesis from other cloacal malformations, as severity strongly correlates with prognosis and pregnancy outcome.
