Cantrell Syndrome and the One Health Perspective: A Unified Review of Human and Comparative Cases

Cantrell syndrome (CS) is a rare congenital disorder involving defects in the thoraco-abdominal midline, the diaphragm, the pericardium, the sternum and the heart. Since the initial description of the syndrome, 165 well-documented cases in humans have been reported, demonstrating substantial heterogeneity ranging from complete pentalogy to partial or atypical variants. A systematic review classified body wall defects and associated anomalies into nine categories, which are fully described in the manuscript. The categories include midline defects (UThAb, SUThAb, UAb, SUAb, SUICD, and UH), lateral defects (ThLAb and StLAb), and special cases. Each case was reassessed for umbilical cord status, body wall morphology, cardiac anomalies and additional malformations. Midline defects predominated (153 out of 165 cases, 92.7%), with supraumbilical variants being the most frequent. Umbilical hernias formed a distinct subgroup of ten cases. Lateral defects were uncommon (9 cases, 5.5%) and typically presented as thoracogastroschisis or lateral thoracoabdominoschisis. These defects were often associated with normal umbilical cords. Cardiac anomalies were universal, with ventricular and atrial septal defects being the most common findings. Reclassification revealed that many cases originally labeled as ‘classic pentalogy of Cantrell’ were more accurately classified as partial or atypical forms. This unified framework improves epidemiological understanding and diagnostic precision. From a One Health perspective, it underscores CS as a shared developmental vulnerability across mammalian species.