[Prune belly syndrome. Study of the effects of abdominal distension on the parietal myogenesis].

The abdominal wall of five fetuses suffering from the Prune-Belly syndrome and four others that had abdominal distension without enlargement of the bladder were studied histologically. This showed that there was no specific character to the abdominal wall defect classically described in the Prune-Belly syndrome. All the same, the results emphasize the importance of the teratogenic action of distension on the muscle growth in the abdominal wall as time goes on. This abdominal distension, if it starts early enough, lasts long and is severe can lead to changes that can progress as far as aplasia, or a lesser fault in development so that in some cases there may be no major abnormality in the abdominal wall.