Prune belly syndrome (Eagle-Barrett syndrome)

What is prune belly syndrome (Eagle-Barrett syndrome)?

Prune Belly syndrome – also known as Eagle-Barrett Syndrome – is a very rare, congenital (present at birth) disorder that causes a child’s stomach to have a wrinkled, prune-like appearance.

Prune belly syndrome (Eagle-Barrett syndrome) can cause a variety of complications, including:

• Chronic renal (kidney) failure
• Failure of both testes to descend into the scrotum (bilateral cryptorchidism)
• Malformations of the urinary tract, including abnormal dilation (widening) of the ureters (tubes that drain urine from the kidneys to the bladder), pooling and/or backflow of urine in the ureters (hydroureter) and kidneys (hydronephrosis)
• Partial or complete absence of the stomach (abdominal) muscles
• Underdevelopment of the lungs (pulmonary hypoplasia)

What are the signs and symptoms of prune belly syndrome (Eagle-Barrett syndrome)?

• Blood and pus in the urine
• Clubfoot (twisted foot or feet)
• Deformed chest, such as flaring of the ribs, a horizontal depression under the chest (Harrison groove) or narrowing of the chest (pigeon breast)
• Navel (belly button) that appears as a vertical slit
• Wrinkled or prune-like appearance of the stomach, due to the missing abdominal muscles
• Undescended testes (in males)