BILATERAL FEMORAL AGENESIS IN FEMORAL FACIAL SYNDROME IN A 19-WEEK-OLD FETUS

Although the cause in most cases is unknown, there is a strong associa tion of the femoral facial syndrome (FFS) with maternal diabetes melli tus, We describe an unusual presentation of FFS in the first pregnancy of a diabetic mother terminated at 19 weeks gestation because of bila teral femoral agenesis diagnosed on ultrasound scan. Autopsy confirmed the absence of the femora and acetabula and the presence of the facia l traits of FFS in a female fetus. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.