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Termination of pregnancy after prenatal diagnosis of spina bifida: a German perspective

  • Maternal-Fetal Medicine
  • Published:
Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To analyze fetal cases with spina bifida undergoing termination of pregnancy according to chromosomal analysis and further diagnosed sonographic findings.

Methods

Retrospective analysis of cases with spina bifida leading to termination of pregnancy in a tertiary referral center from 2002 to 2011.

Results

In the study period, 246 cases of spina bifida were diagnosed in our center and 157 parents chose termination of pregnancy. The time of diagnosis was on average 2 days before the first presentation at our department (22 + 3, range: 12 + 3 − 33 + 3 weeks of gestation). Among 157 pregnancies with spina bifida and termination of pregnancy, further malformations could be detected in 46 (29.3 %) cases. An abnormal karyotype could be found in 13 (18.1 %). Severe ventriculomegaly or mild/moderate ventriculomegaly was present in 109 (69.4 %) and 29 (18.5 %) of the cases, respectively, while banana sign was detectable in 153 cases (97.5 %). In the majority, the upper lesion level was lumbar (71.3 %). In 67 cases (42.7 %), termination of pregnancy took place in or after the 24th week of gestation.

Conclusion

Direct and indirect signs of spina bifida were detectable in nearly all cases independent of the gestational age. Therefore, the diagnosis could have been made in all cases with late termination. Implementation of a uniform prenatal care including first-trimester scan with potential signs for open spina bifida and second-trimester anomaly scan with indirect intracranial findings and direct detection of spinal lesion could lead to an earlier diagnosis and help to reduce late termination of pregnancy in neural tube defects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Prenatal Medicine, University of Bonn, 53105, Bonn, Germany

    Christian M. Domröse, Sandra Bremer, Caroline Buczek, Annegret Geipel, Christoph Berg, Ulrich Gembruch & Arne Willruth

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany

    Christoph Berg

Authors
  1. Christian M. Domröse
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  2. Sandra Bremer
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  3. Caroline Buczek
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  4. Annegret Geipel
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  7. Arne Willruth
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christian M. Domröse.

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All procedures were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

For this type of study, formal consent is not required.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Domröse, C.M., Bremer, S., Buczek, C. et al. Termination of pregnancy after prenatal diagnosis of spina bifida: a German perspective. Arch Gynecol Obstet 294, 731–737 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-016-4032-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-016-4032-y

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