3D-reconstruction of craniofacial structures of a human anencephalic fetus. Case report

It was the purpose of this study to investigate the craniofacial bones, car tilages and major blood vessels of a human anencephalic fetus and to descri be the malformations of these structures accompanying this developmental di sruption. The head of a 16 week old human fetus with anencephaly was serial ly sectioned and the craniofacial bones, cartilages and major blood vessels were traced and reconstructed by 3D-computer technology. The sphenoidal, t emporal and occipital bones showed severe malformations, whereas the bones of the facial cranium were normally developed. Both internal carotid arteri es ended within the cerebro-vascular area with no further branches. The ver tebral arteries also ended within the cerebro-vascular area. No arterial ci rcle of Willis was developed. The notochord terminated normally in the sphe noid body. The observations indicate that the possible reason for this malf ormation was non-closure of the anterior neuropore of the neural tube. The normal termination of the notochord suggests that it had no influence on th e pathogenesis of this malformation. The malformations of the temporal and occipital bones are contradictory to the hypothesis of Marin-Padilla (1991) that anencephaly is caused by a maldevelopment of the sphenoidal bone.