A study of fetal anomalies detected by ultrasound in Bangladesh and their relative frequencies.

A total of 5,841 obstetric patients were scanned over a period of 34 months. This study was undertaken to establish the anomalies that can be detected by ultrasound and to find out their relative frequencies in Bangladesh. Of the 41 cases of congenital anomalies, seven cases were of hydrocephalus, seven were of hydronephrosis, five were of mild hydrocele (which could be just a physiological variant), five of anencephalus, five of fetal ascites, three of omphalocele, two of small biparietal diameter (BPD), two of short-limb, and one each of gastroschisis, renal cyst, hepatosplenomegaly, pleural effusion with oedema (hydrops fetalis) and bradycardia with irregular fetal heart beats. The benefits of the procedure are that in some cases like hydronephrosis, early detection can lead to early treatment to save the kidney by removing the congenital obstruction soon after birth, and in hydrocephalus and anencephalus it will help in proper management. The problem was there was a chance of higher detection of hydrocephalus and anencephalus as these were clinically suspected by the obstetrician and referred for a scan.