title: [Epidemiology of neural tube defects].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Neural tube defects represent group of congenital diseases with relatively high incidence in population. Authors assess world and Slovak literature and statistical facts about the epidemiology of NTD and compare them with their own results of retrospective study performed in Children's Hospital, Bratislava.
  
  
  METHODS
  List of patients consists of 250 children (106 boys, 144 girls): X-ray images showing lumbo-sacral part of vertebral column were evaluated retrospectively (X-ray of native abdomen, urological tract or skeleton). Authors assessed presence or non-presence of spina bifida on images, without relation to age, gender or diagnosis of patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From the total number of 250 radiograms, 72 findings were positive (36 boys and 36 girls), 160 images were negative, 18 were unsuitable for evaluation due to low image quality. The highest diagnostic capture was from urological images - 40% of all positive findings. Incidence of spina bifida in Children's Hospital concluded from X-ray images is quite high - 28.8%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to the data from National Centre of Health Statistics the incidence of open caudal neural tube defects in Slovakia is under 5 per 10 000 live-born children at present time. However the occurrence of occult spina bifida is not known exactly. The high rate of spina bifida presented herein (28%) can be caused by relatively low number of evaluated radiograms. Also the fact that children were not only healthy ones and data were obtained from the western part of Slovakia as well. In conclusion we can say that after accidental finding of caudal neural tube defect consecutive diagnostics should be performed in clinical positive cases - genetics, MRI and consultation with specialists to decide for the optimal follow up of the patient.
authors.affiliation: Klinika detskej chirurgie LF UKo a DFNsP, Bratislava, Slovenská republika. frantisek.horn@gmail.com
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Horn
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Martinka
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Funáková
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sabová
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Drdulová
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hornová
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Trnka
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011859:Radiography; D018154:Slovakia / Q000453:epidemiology; D016135:Spinal Dysraphism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology