To propose polyhydramnios seen during prenatal diagnosis as a warning sign of foetal malformation.

A retrospective multicentre study over a three-year period carried out in Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. We reviewed 3903 obstetric ultrasound reports. All cases of foetal malformation and polyhydramnios were counted. The instances of foetal malformation associated with polyhydramnios were compared to those of foetal malformation without polyhydramnios and to polyhydramnios only.

A list of 72 cases of polyhydramnios was made (equating to 1.8%). In 55 cases (76.4%), polyhydramnios was combined with foetal malformation. These were lethal abnormalities in 33 cases and non-lethal in 22 cases. In 17 cases, polyhydramnios was not associated with any foetal malformations and in eight cases, foetal malformation was discovered in the absence of polyhydramnios. Polyhydramnios had a positive predictive value of 76.4% for the presence of foetal malformation. The negative predictive value was 99.8%. Sensitivity was 87.3% and specificity was 99.5%.

Polyhydramnios is a highly sensitive and specific sign for prenatal diagnosis of foetal malformation. If it is identified, then this should lead to a very careful search for foetal malformation.