Patient Stories
Illeal Duplication Cyst
Fetal Care Center of Cincinnati Team Provides a Happy Ending for Allison Meyer
Danette and Ben Meyer of Cincinnati, Ohio, watch happily as 4-year-old Trevor kisses his new baby sister, Allison, on the head. "Trevor could not wait to be a big 
brother," Danette said. Following a long journey that began when Danette was 27 weeks pregnant, this moment is particularly special for the Meyer family.
Danette was being followed very closely during her pregnancy by Jeffrey Livingston, MD, perinatologist and obstetrician. Danette has Type II Diabetes, which made her a high-risk pregnancy.
At Danette's 27-week ultrasound, the sonographer saw two dark circles on the baby's belly. She took various measurements and scans of the circles. "I knew something was wrong because the sonographer was spending so much time and effort on the circles," Danette said. The sonographer left the room and returned with Dr. Livingston, who explained to her what they saw.
Dr. Livingston said that the circles could be nothing and simply resolve themselves. Or, the circles could indicate an enlarged or dilated bowel. He recommended that she return in three weeks for another ultrasound. Depending on what they see, Dr. Livingston advised that he might need to send her to the Fetal Care Center of Cincinnati. "We were blessed to have Dr. Livingston as our perinatologist," Danette said.
Three weeks later, she returned for the ultrasound. "I could tell right away that the circles had grown," Danette said. They had not resolved themselves. Dr. Livingston immediately contacted the Fetal Care Center of Cincinnati and later that day, Karen McGirr, Certified Nurse Midwife, contacted her. "Karen ended up becoming our angel," Danette said. "She made us feel comfortable and let us know how our day was going to work."
That Friday, Danette and Ben went in for the appointment. The evaluation consisted of an MRI, meetings with specialists, tour of the Regional Center for Newborn Intensive Care / RCNIC at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and a meeting with genetic counselors. At the end of the day, Danette and Ben met with the entire Fetal Care Center of Cincinnati team, who had good news for the Meyers.
The Fetal Care team thought, because of her diabetes, the dark circles were possibly a fetal ovarian cyst. Their recommendation was to do a needle aspiration to drain it. Danette and Ben were also told that the baby may need surgery after birth.
One week later, Danette went to The University Hospital, a member of the Fetal Care Center of Cincinnati collaborative, for the needle aspiration. (A needle aspiration is like an amniocentesis, except the needle is inserted a little deeper.)
The team wasn't able to draw a single drop of fluid from the cyst, suggesting the diagnosis was not an ovarian but more likely an enteric duplication cyst. (An enteric duplication cyst is a tube-shaped mass on the digestive tract.) The team decided to leave it in until after the baby was born.
Allison Meyer was born at The University Hospital on October 28, 2005, and her big brother helped name her. Danette and Ben had initially decided on the names Megan or Allison for their daughter, eventually choosing Megan. But when Danette called to tell Trevor he had a new baby sister named Megan, Trevor replied: "I like Allison better."
The family's joy, however, soon turned to worry. One hour after her first feeding. Allison vomited. Danette and Ben knew something was wrong.
Danette paged Karen McGirr, who arranged to have Allison immediately transferred to the RCNIC at Cincinnati Children's.
At Cincinnati Children's, Allison underwent two X-rays, an ultrasound, and a CT scan, which determined that the cause of the vomiting was the cyst. Allison was scheduled for surgery Sunday morning. At this point, doctors still believed Allison had an enteric duplication cyst but this couldn't be determined without surgery.
Following the procedure, Danette and Ben learned that Allison had a Illeal Duplication Cyst, which grows off of the small intestine. Maria Alonso, MD, at Cincinnati Children's had to remove four inches of Allison's intestine.
"Gail Klayman, the Child Life Specialist in the RCNIC, was another one of our angels," Danette said. "She was invaluable at helping us prepare and explain to our 4-year-old son what was happening to Allison."
The medical team at Cincinnati Children's initially prepared the Meyers for a two-week hospital stay following Allison's surgery. She was on a ventilator for two days, progressed quickly and started to eat and have bowel movements with no problem.
After only five days, Allison was discharged to go home. "We would not have been able to go home if it wasn't for the nurses in the RCNIC," Danette said. The nurses were integral in supporting the family during their stay and helping to educate them on everything they did and the benefits.
During her first year of life, Allison has a higher-than-normal risk for bowel obstruction. (A bowel obstruction is a blockage, or clog, of the space inside a child's bowel.) Therefore, she's being followed closely by Dr. Alonso and the Fetal Care Center of Cincinnati team.
"Allison is doing great," Danette said. "She is one happy, content, laid-back little girl." And, most important, she's eating and growing.
To request an appointment at the Fetal Care Center of Cincinnati or contact us, please use our secure, online appointment form or call 1-888-338-2559 (1-888-FETAL59).
