Unbalanced chromosomal translocation: a cause of recurrent spontaneous abortion.

The patient, a term female baby, had a spontaneous vaginal delivery; her birth weight was 2.38kg. Her mother who had a poor obstetric history had three previous pregnancies. The first child died at the age of two months secondary to septicaemia following ligation of patent ductus arteriosus; she also had underlying lung hypoplasia. The second pregnancy, which resulted in an intrauterine death at six months of gestation, had cleft lip and cleft, whereas the third pregnancy was a spontaneous abortion at two months of gestation. Antenatal ultrasonography, which was performed at 32 weeks for this patient, showed right lung hypoplasia with right hydronephrosis and hydroureter; she also had cleft lip and cleft palate. Amniocentesis and karyotyping at 33 weeks gestation revealed a structural abnormality involving chromosome 15. Following thiS, parental karyotyping was requested.