title: Prevalence and prenatal diagnosis of neural tube defects in Nova Scotia in 1980-84.
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.
mesh_terms: D000032:Abortion, Therapeutic; D000757:Anencephaly / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D004677:Encephalocele / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009674:Nova Scotia; D011247:Pregnancy; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D016136:Spina Bifida Occulta / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D014463:Ultrasonography