Amniotic Band Syndrome ? Case Report of a Rare Congenital Condition Causing Undue Suffering through Delayed Diagnosis

Amniotic band syndrome (ABS) is a rare congenital disorder that can lead to a wide range of physical abnormalities in the newborn infant. In this report we describe the case of a child with ABS who was diagnosed at 8 years of age, the circumstances leading to the delayed diagnosis and the effects of delayed diagnosis on the child and parents. The parents who had avoided pregnancy fearing recurrence of similar defects in a subsequent pregnancy were counselled on the condition. Later the mother of the child with ABS presented in her second pregnancy to the author and delivered a healthy baby by elective cesarean section following an uneventful pregnancy.