Early prenatal diagnosis of ventricular diverticulum complicated by serous pericardial effusion.

An unusual case of apical diverticulum complicated by serous pericardial effusion and diagnosed ultrasonographically at 13 weeks of gestation is described. A therapeutic abortion was induced at 14 weeks and the complete post-mortem examination did not show additional malformation. Cardiac diverticulum is a rare malformation that occurs as an isolated defect or as part of a complex midline thoraco-abdominal defect. Only two prenatally diagnosed cases have been previously reported in the literature and none with associated hydropericardium.