Ha. Nasrat, PRENATAL-DIAGNOSIS, ITS POTENTIAL IMPACT ON THE PREVALENCE AND MANAGEMENT OF CONGENITAL-ANOMALIES, Saudi medical journal, 19(2), 1998, pp. 130-135
Objective: To study the potential impact of prenatal diagnosis on the
prevalence and pattern of major congenital anomalies, over a period of
five years, at King Abudulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah. Setting:
Fetal Medicine and Nursery Units. Subjects and method: All live born n
eonates admitted to the nursery with a diagnosis of congenital malform
ations as well as fetal anomalies diagnosed during prenatal ultrasound
examination. Results: Among live born neonates, the prevalence of mal
formations was 1.83% (n=218). When cases diagnosed in the Fetal Medici
ne Unit were included, the figure went up to 2.0% (n=261). Anomalies o
f the CNS (26.9%) ranked first followed by CVS (16.0%), Chromosomal ab
errations (12.4%), and other anomalies in variable order. Although the
overall rate of fetal anomalies among our population was more or less
similar to that published in similar studies, their pattern of distri
bution was different. Conclusion: Epidemiological studies on congenita
l malformation, based only on data from live born babies do not reflec
t either the true prevalence rate nor its distribution pattern in a gi
ven population. The value of prenatal diagnosis is no more confined to
termination of affected pregnancies, but has an important role in pla
nning the best circumstances: for delivery that provide the optimum ch
ance for fetal survival with minimal maternal morbidity.