Impact of introduction of mid‐trimester scan on pregnancy outcome of open spina bifida in The Netherlands

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Prevalence, diagnosis and outcome of cleft lip with or without cleft palate in The Netherlands

“…attributed geographical variations to ethnic differences as well as to a higher genetic predisposition in the North East. Our study shows that, in the North West, more cases are detected in the first trimester, most likely because uptake of first‐trimester screening is higher in this area and early scans are often performed by sonographers who are trained to recognize features of anomalies at an early stage of development. Most of the cases detected in the first trimester had additional major anomalies and were terminated.…”

Prevalence, timing of diagnosis and pregnancy outcome of abdominal wall defects after the introduction of a national prenatal screening program

“…In the North‐West region, early detection and termination rates are higher than in the North‐East region. This reflects the lower uptake of first trimester screening and reluctance towards termination of pregnancy in the North‐East area . As a consequence, the neonatal death rate is slightly higher in the North‐East region.…”

“…Abdominal wall defects are increasingly diagnosed in the first trimester of pregnancy. The low uptake rate of first trimester screening but the high early detection rate confirms that trained sonographers can recognize major anomalies at an early stage of pregnancy, 2,7,24,25 even during the dating scan provided that this scan is performed beyond 12 weeks' gestation (the usual moment of disappearance of the physiological bowel herniation). Early diagnosis allows for additional testing and for a more precise assessment of the prognosis.…”

“…This reflects the lower uptake of first trimester screening and reluctance towards termination of pregnancy in the North-East area. 24,25,32 As a consequence, the neonatal death rate is slightly higher in the North-East region.…”

Prenatal Diagnosis of Open Spina Bifida in Emilia-Romagna

“…The causes of spina bifida are multifactorial, including genetic predisposition, environmental factors and maternal conditions [8]. In the past the diagnosis of open spina bifida was done prenatally by maternal serum alphafetoprotein (AFP) screening [9,10] combined with ultrasound diagnostic criteria [11,12,13,14]. In the last few years antenatal diagnosis is almost exclusively based upon sonographic findings [15].…”