Prenatal ultrasonographic findings associated with wide clefting of the upper two thirds of the fetal sternum

Complete or partial absence or clefting of the fetal sternum is uncommon. A teenage primiparous patient at 34 weeks' gestation with severe preeclampsia was delivered of an infant with wide clefting of the upper two thirds of the sternum. The infant had no respiratory or cardiac symptoms. There were no other congenital abnormalities. Corrective neonatal surgery was performed at 1 month of age. Retrospective analysis of the ultrasonographic examination performed at 34 weeks revealed evidence of this fetal sternal defect.