Abstract
Teratogens are substances that can significantly affect prenatal development of an embryo or foetus. Alcohol acts as a toxicant in the developing brain. It passes through the placenta in both directions based on a concentration gradient. The consequences of maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy depend on the stage of pregnancy. Foetal alcohol spectrum disorder expresses a set of characteristic dysmorphic features, congenital behavioural disorders and changes in the development of the newborn. The authors analysed the case of a premature newborn from unmonitored pregnancy of a mother with abuse of nicotine and alcohol, of unknown paternal history. After delivery 3-chamber hydrocephalus with dysgenesis of the corpus callosum was confirmed. The child was at 5 weeks of age admitted at Neonatal Department of Intensive Medicine for neurosurgery intervention. Given the child´s age at admission, it was not possible to indicate a specific examination for the presence of alcohol metabolites. The developing brain is very vulnerable throughout prenatal development, and it is known, that alcohol causes irreversible brain damage and later leads to the development of complications. We can only assume, that abuse of nicotine and alcohol supported the origin of congenital structural anomaly of the newborn’s brain.