Potter syndrome (or Potter's syndrome or bilateral renal agenesis) is when a fetus does not develop kidneys. It is always fatal. The lack of kidneys leads to oligohydramnios (where there is little or no amniotic fluid in the womb) and as a result the baby's lungs do not develop properly. Babies with Potter syndrome are usually stillborn, although some are born alive, but die of respiratory failure.
Potter's sequence refers to the sitauation where the fetus has kidneys, but oligohydramnios exists. In this case, the baby usually dies of respiratory failure within one or two days of birth.
The syndrome is named after Edith Louise Potter (1901-1991), a pediatric pathologist at the University of Chicago.