Lumbar rachischisis associated with diastematomyelia: prenatal diagnosis and fetopathological examination

We report the case of a 29-year-old female patient who presented for a routine ultrasound scan at 17 weeks of gestation. Sonography showed, on an axial view of the fetal brain, flattening of the frontal bones resulting in a lemon like deformity of the cephalic pole (A). Biparietal diameter and head circumference were below 3^rd percentile (A). The examination of lumbar spine showed vertebral and skin defect on a sagittal view (B). The diagnosis of Chiari II malformation was suspected. An additional midline echogenic focus (B, C (☆)) attracted our attention. Sonography showed widening of the spinal canal in the coronal view (C).