Congenital neural tube defects (NTDs) consisting anencephalus , encephalocele, myelomeningocele have been major problems for parents and physicians.
The major causes of these malformations are unknown, but effects of several factors such as, genetic suseptibitity , maternal age, low socioeconomic state , maternal malnutrition specially folic acid deficiency on genesis of these malformations have been reported frequently.
In this retrospective survey the records of 30142 newborns were studied in shahid akbarabadi maternity hospital during 22 months.
The incidence of NTOs was 3.1 per thousand and 1.5 per thousand for anencephalus, and 1.4 per thousand for myelomeningocele.
The essential factors to decrease, incidence of these malformations included prevention of above mentined risk factors and application of new diagnostic procedures such as sonography, scaning, fetoscopy, radiography and measurment of AFP and acetyl coline estrase before 16-18 th week of pregnancy.
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