Survival in Infants with Anencephaly

Abstract

There is little available literature on survival data in the form of lifetables for babies born with anencephaly. These data would be valuable in advising parents, who often request very specific information on the length of time their child might survive. Survival is examined for a cohort of anencephalic infants in a well-defined population. Sex-specific survival tables are given, since these are the most practical to use for counselling purposes. These data show that over 40 percent of liveborn anencephalic infants (51 % males; 34% females) survive longer than 24 hours, and of these, 5 percent are still alive on the seventh day. Data also are presented on the types of mal formations observed in addition to anencephaly.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Trimble BK , Baird PA Congenital anomalies of the central nervous system: incidence in British Columbia, 1951-1972. Teratology 1978; 17:43-9.

Demenais F. , LeMerrer M. , Briard ML , et al. Neural tube defects in France: segregation analysis. Am J Med Genet 1982; 11:287-98.

Layde PM , Von Allmen SD , Oakley GP Maternal serum alphafetoprotein screening: a cost-benefit analysis. Am J Public Health 1979;69:566-73.

Lowry RB , Miller JR , Scott AE , et al. The British Columbia Registry for Handicapped Children and Adults: evolutionary changes over twenty years. Can J Public Health 1975 ;66:322-6.

American Joint Committee for Cancer Staging and End-Results Reporting. Manual for staging of cancer . Chicago: Whiting Press, 1978:15-26.

Lee ET Statistical methods for survival data. Belmont, CA: Lifetime Learning Publications, 1980.

Snedecor GW , Cochran WG Statistical methods. Ames, Iowa: The Iowa State University Press, 1978.

Armitage P. Tests for linear trends in proportions and frequencies. Biometrics 1955;11:375-86.

Hagard S. , Carter F. , Milne RG Screening for spina bifida cystica. A cost-benefit analysis. Br J Prev Soc Med 1976;30:40-53.

10.

James WH The sex ratio in anencephaly. J Med Genet 1979;16:129-33.

11.

Ballantyne JW Manual of antenatal pathology and hygiene. Vol. 2, The Embryo. Edinburgh: William Green and Sons, 1904:272-84, 347-8.

12.

David TJ , Nixon A. Congenital malformations associated with anencephaly and iniencephaly. J Med Genet 1976; 13:263-5.

13.

Bell JE The pathology of central nervous system defects in human fetuses of different gestational ages. In: Persaud, TVN ed. Advances in the study of birth defects. Vol. 7, Central nervous system and craniofacial malformations. New York: Alan R. Liss Inc., 1982:1-17.

14.

Baird PA , MacDonald EC. An epidemiologic study of congenital malformations of the anterior abdominal wall in more than half a million consecutive livebiths. Am J Hum Genet 1981;33:470-8.

15.

Lowry RB , Renwick Dhg. Incidence of cleft lip and palate in British Columbia Indians. J Med Genet 1969;6:67-9.

16.

Holmes LB , Driscoll SG , Atkins L. Etiologic heterogeneity of neural tube defects. N Engl J Med 1976;294:365-9.

17.

Khoury MJ , Erickson JD , James LM Etiologic heterogeneity of neural tube defects: clues from epidemiology. Am J Epidemiol 1982;115:538-48.

18.

Khoury MJ , Erickson JD , James LM Etiologic heterogeneity of neural tube defects II. Clues from family studies . Am J Hum Genet 1982;34:980-7.