OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of ultrasound screening in pregnancy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Therefore, it was registered whether fetal malformations in a study population of 11,172 deliveries were already diagnosed before birth. RESULTS: 341 defects were found in 297 children from mothers who had had prenatal care. Most anomalies were seen in the urogenital tract (n = 98; 28.7%), the heart (n = 67; 19.6%), the connective tissue (n = 39; 11.4%), the gastrointestinal tract (n = 32; 9.4%), and in the central nervous system (n = 33; 9.7%). Chromosomal anomalies (n = 22; 6.5%) and orofacial defects (n = 21; 6.2%) were more rare. 8.8% of all defects were lethal, 37% severe. 237 (69.5%) were classified as "diagnosable by ultrasound prenatally". 125 of them (53%) were identified prenatally, with high rates of 71% in central nervous system, 65.5% in intestinal and 54% in urogenital tract, while the detection rate was only 13.6% in chromosomal and 3.3% in cardiac defects. Only 14.3% were found before 24 weeks of gestation. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, the effectiveness of ultrasound screening has to be improved by adequate measures.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of ultrasound screening in pregnancy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Therefore, it was registered whether fetal malformations in a study population of 11,172 deliveries were already diagnosed before birth. RESULTS: 341 defects were found in 297 children from mothers who had had prenatal care. Most anomalies were seen in the urogenital tract (n = 98; 28.7%), the heart (n = 67; 19.6%), the connective tissue (n = 39; 11.4%), the gastrointestinal tract (n = 32; 9.4%), and in the central nervous system (n = 33; 9.7%). Chromosomal anomalies (n = 22; 6.5%) and orofacial defects (n = 21; 6.2%) were more rare. 8.8% of all defects were lethal, 37% severe. 237 (69.5%) were classified as "diagnosable by ultrasound prenatally". 125 of them (53%) were identified prenatally, with high rates of 71% in central nervous system, 65.5% in intestinal and 54% in urogenital tract, while the detection rate was only 13.6% in chromosomal and 3.3% in cardiac defects. Only 14.3% were found before 24 weeks of gestation. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, the effectiveness of ultrasound screening has to be improved by adequate measures.