Massive Neonatal Ascites

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Abstract
Fetal or neonatal ascites denotes an intraperitoneal accumulation of fluid during prenatal life or shortly after birth. Volumes under 100 c.c. may be clinically indiscernible (1); 200 c.c. is usually obvious by physical examination. Ascites of this greater degree not associated with generalized edema is of rare occurrence (18). Lord (16) in “over 8,000 infants” encountered only 2 examples. Historical Review The earlier reports on fetal ascites appeared in the obstetrical literature and dealt primarily with dystocia resulting from the often massive abdominal enlargement. All the patients died in the perinatal period. The condition was briefly ascribed to and dismissed as congenital syphilis; this view was also expressed in the pediatric textbooks of that period. It was not until the end of the last century that the association of neonatal ascites with congenital anomalies was appreciated. Fordyce (9), in 1894, collected 63 examples of fetal ascites, in which the most frequent finding was peritonitis. In 31...

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