RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Incidence of neural tube defects in liveborn and stillborn infants in British Columbia over a 10-year period
JF Canadian Medical Association Journal
JO CMAJ
FD Canadian Medical Association
SP 1109
OP 1110
VO 129
IS 10
A1 A. D. Sadovnick
A1 P. A. Baird
YR 1983
UL http://www.cmaj.ca/content/129/10/1109.abstract
AB Reports of an apparent decline in the incidence of neural tube defects (NTDs) have come from various parts of the world. If these findings are consistent they would have an important impact on prenatal diagnosis and on screening programs. The incidence of NTDs over a 10-year period was examined in British Columbia, a province that has a population-based health surveillance registry through which there is virtually complete ascertainment of liveborn infants with NTDs. The results showed a significant decrease in incidence only for stillborn infants with anencephaly. The increased use of ultrasonography and the subsequent termination of pregnancies in which the fetus has been found to have anencephaly may explain this observation.