title: Routine prenatal ultrasound screening for fetal abnormalities: 22 years' experience.
abstract: We describe the results of routine obstetric ultrasound examination over a period of 22 years (1970-91) at the Institut Universitari Dexeus, Barcelona, Spain. A total of 1006 malformed fetuses or neonates were identified at abortion or delivery. The prevalence of fetal abnormalities was 3.03%. Fetal anomalies were diagnosed antenatally in 788 (78.33%) cases. Early prenatal diagnosis (before 22 weeks of gestation) was made in 598 (59.44%) cases. The detection of malformed fetuses increased from 19.75% in the first phase of the study (1970-74) to 96.33% in the last phase (1990-91). The specificity of the method was over 99% throughout the study period. The most frequently diagnosed anomalies were urinary tract anomalies (22.86% of cases), followed by head and neck anomalies (18.68%), musculoskeletal anomalies (8.64%), heart anomalies (7.35%) and gastrointestinal anomalies (7.35%). The earliest diagnosed malformations were those of the thoracoabdominal wall (81.08%), followed by defects of the urinary tract (70.86%) and of the diaphragm (70.83%).
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institut Universitari Dexeus, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Carrera
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Torrents
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mortera
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cusí
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muñoz
mesh_terms: D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000002:abnormalities*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal