Morphological Features of VACTERL Malformation, an Anatomical Case Report

Introduction: we report a case of congenital anomalies in an embalmed full term fetus, which involved several systems of the body and later it was diagnosed be VACTERL syndrome. On examination, it was observed that the fetus presented with syndactyly in both the upper limbs. On dissection, it was observed that there was presence of tracheoesophageal fistula, as the upper part of the esophagus was terminating as a blind pouch. The fetus also had imperforate anus and single fused kidney. This fetus was donated to us by the department of obstetrics and gynecology of our institution and it was mounted in our anatomy museum. The defective differentiation of mesoderm in the fourth to fifth week of gestation is suggested to be the embryological basis of this syndrome.