Fetal hydrops and familial pulmonary lymphatic hypoplasia.

Two siblings were born with pleural effusions and hydrops. The first infant was a 26-week-old gestation male and died at 8 hours of life with radiographically small lungs and pulmonary insufficiency. No lung tissue was obtainable. This pregnancy was followed by two normal term infants, a male and female. The fourth pregnancy resulted in a female born at 35 weeks' gestation with pleural effusion and hydrops who died at 32 months of age. This infant was discharged from hospital at 32 days of age with small pleural effusions, but needed supplemental oxygen and daily diuretics to control edema. There were 14 additional admissions until death-all for respiratory distress or infections. An open lung biopsy at 2 months, showed dilated pleural lymphatics, with hypoplasia of the acinar and terminal bronchiolar lymphatics. At postmortem examination there was a markedly thickened pleura, and slit-like hypoplastic lymphatics of the acinar and terminal bronchioles and interlobular septal regions. This is the second family reported with these distinctive pulmonary intra-acinar and peri-acinar hypoplastic lymphatics. This disease is compatible with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance.