Abstract
A survey of the records of all hospitals with obstetric services in Nova Scotia revealed that during 1980-84 there were 122 pregnancies involving a neural tube defect. The mean rate was 2/1000 births. Of the affected fetuses or infants 54% had spina bifida, 35% had anencephaly and 11% had encephalocele. The records showed that in the early part of the period studied at least one prenatal ultrasonographic examination had been performed in 60% of the pregnancies; in 1984 the rate was 74%. When examinations done before 16 weeks' gestation were excluded, the overall detection rates at the first ultrasonographic examination were 100% for anencephaly and 73% for spina bifida and encephalocele; the rates improved toward the end of the study period.
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