title: The tip of the iceberg: a validation study of the Victorian Congenital Malformations/Birth Defects Register.
abstract: Among 1500 children under 4 years of age admitted consecutively to two paediatric teaching hospitals in Victoria in 1985 the prevalence of birth defects was 20%. Fewer than half of these defects had been notified to the Victorian Congenital Malformations Register. Only chromosomal anomalies and, to a lesser extent, major structural malformations present at birth were adequately ascertained. The implications for birth defects monitoring and for service planning are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Perinatal Data Collection Unit, Victorian Health Department, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lumley
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Palma
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Robertson
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D012042:Registries; D013577:Syndrome; D014739:Victoria