Visceral anomalies in prenatally adriamycin exposed rat fetuses: a model for the VATER association

Adriamycin is teratogenic if given to pregnant rats. A wide range of anomal ies involving the gastrointestinal, renal, and cardiovascular systems has b een described, similar to the VATER association, yet it is not known if the y are identical to the human pattern. The aim of this study was to document the visceral anomalies in rat fetuses exposed to adriamycin and to determi ne their similarities with the congenital defects in humans with the VATER association. The results revealed a spectrum of very similar anomalies. Fur thermore, the characteristics of the tracheo-oesophageal anomalies had a lo t of features in common with the human pattern. We conclude that the adriam ycin-treated fetal rat is an excellent model for studying the VATER associa tion. Although some of the individual components of the VATER association are see n commonly in infants born with congenital defects, many issues remain unan swered, such as the aetiology and pathogenesis of these anomalies. The purpose of this study was to determine the visceral anomalies in the ra t fetus exposed to adriamycin and to determine any similarities with the hu man pattern of the VATER association. Particular attention has been given t o tracheo-oesophageal anomalies (TOA). The results revealed a spectrum of a nomalies very similar to the VATER association in children, in both macrosc opic and histopathologic characteristics.