Cloaca malformation

A separate, more complex group of anomalies is formed by the cloacal malformations, in which the urinary, genital and intestinal tracts converge to form a common channel with a single perineal orifice, i.e. the cloaca. These malformations are found exclusively in phenotypic females. 

Definitive correction of the cloaca can now be performed between the ages of 6 and 24 months (Hendren 1998), and the prognosis of infants with cloacal malformation has improved significantly during recent years due to surgical repair techniques pioneered by Hendren. 

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