Hepatoblastoma: A rare cause of non-immune hydrops in a preterm infant

Abstract

A preterm infant with signs of non-immune hydrops was born at 30 weeks gestation to a 34-year-old mother after an uneventful pregnancy with normal antenatal fetal ultrasound scans. Physical examination revealed generalized hydrops with hepatomegaly and ascites. Extensive investigations identified an elevated α-fetoprotein. An abdominal ultrasound scan showed a huge primary solid mass in the liver that compressed the inferior vena cava, with evidence of significant arterio-venous shunting suggestive of hepatoblastoma. Liver biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of hepatoblastoma with a fetal epithelial pattern.