Prenatal diagnosis of clubfoot in low-risk population: associated anomalies and long-term outcome.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate associated congenital anomaly risk, need for surgical treatment and long-term outcome in prenatally diagnosed clubfoot.

METHODS

A retrospective study of 20 663 pregnant women who underwent routine ultrasound scanning at 18 to 22 weeks of gestation. Clubfoot was considered as complex or isolated if other structural or chromosomal abnormalities were also present or not.

RESULTS

Forty-two cases of congenital clubfoot were diagnosed (incidence: 0.2%), 28 of them (66.6%) were isolated and 14 (33.3%) were complex, of which 3 (7.1%) had an abnormal karyotype and 11 (26.2%) had an associated structural anomaly. The false-positive rate was 2.3% (1 out of 32 liveborns). Out of the 41 confirmed affected fetuses, the defect was unilateral in 12 (29.3%) and bilateral in 29 (70.7%) cases. Surgery was necessary in 12 of the newborns (38.7%). The presence of a bilateral clubfoot was unrelated to either the presence of associated anomalies (p = 0.40) or to the necessity of surgery (p = 0.48).

CONCLUSIONS

We provide outcome data about fetuses prenatally diagnosed for clubfoot. One-third are complex cases associated with other congenital anomalies. For isolated clubfoot, the risk of requiring surgery is about 40%. The detection of a bilateral defect does not worsen the prognosis.