Intra-amniotic debris identified at ultrasound scanning: a feature of congenital ichthyosis.

A case is described in which intra-amniotic debris was identified during an ultrasound scan in a woman with polyhydramnios at 33 weeks' gestation. At delivery the neonate was found to have severe ichthyosis involving the whole of her head, trunk and limbs, with large plaques of hyperkeratotic skin on the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet. The finding of excessive debris in association with polyhydramnios should raise the possibility of an exfoliative skin disorder.