EP05.62: ZIKA virus infection during pregnancy and encephalocele: a non‐classic association

Zika continues to pose a significant health risk, particularly because it can lead to severe damage to the developing fetal brain. Instances of Zika virus infection reported in US states to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have highlighted numerous potential brain abnormalities, primarily microcephaly, alongside other conditions such as cerebral atrophy, abnormal gyration patterns, cerebellar abnormalities, porencephaly, hydranencephaly, albeit encephalocele is extremely rare. Presented here is the case of a 30-year-old primigravida with no prior obstetric complications. She sought routine prenatal care at 16 weeks gestation, having experienced a severe flu-like illness four weeks earlier, which had not been thoroughly investigated. Ultrasound examination revealed a malformed triangular skull with an occipital encephalocele protruding through a 2 cm defect in the posterior skull. Fetal spine and growth were within normal parameters, and no abnormalities were noted in fetal eyes. While cytomegalovirus serology was negative, Zika Antigen NS1 returned positive. Following approval from the ethical committee, the pregnancy was medically terminated. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.