title: Prenatal detection of anencephaly.
abstract: Fetal anomalies were suspected clinically in 3 patients, during the second trimester of pregnancy, due to advanced maternal age, hydramnios and abnormal vaginal bleeding respectively. Sonography revealed anencephaly in all of them, confirmed by roentgenograms and also by high amniotic fluid leveal alpha-fetoprotein in 1 of them. The antenatal diagnosis was confirmed in the 3 abortuses. Early screening of all pregnancies at risk for neural tube malformations is strongly recommended.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000649:Amniocentesis; D000757:Anencephaly / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D004739:England / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009519:New York City; D011247:Pregnancy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D012606:Scotland / Q000208:ethnology; D014463:Ultrasonography; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins