{"title":"A Cluster of Anencephaly Cases: The Potential Preventative Role of Folic Acid Fortification.","authors":"J Stokes, E Loughman, E Dunn","doi":"","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>There were four cases of severely abnormal fetal cranial views on ultrasound over a two-week period at a peripheral maternity unit. We describe three of these cases with consent.</p><p><strong>Cases: </strong>All cases were confirmed anencephaly/acrania by fetal medicine at a tertiary referral centre between 12-16-weeks' gestation. In two cases the parents opted for genetic testing. This condition is not compatible with life and this cluster highlights the difficult decisions individuals and couples are faced with.</p><p><strong>Outcome: </strong>Two of the couples opted for termination under Section 11 of the Health Act 2018. One set of parents chose to continue the pregnancy and had an emergency caesarean section followed by a neonatal death within hours of delivery.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Given how rare these conditions are, this cluster gives an opportunity to review an important and largely preventable anomaly. The introduction of folic acid food fortification could majorly contribute to prevention.</p>","PeriodicalId":14713,"journal":{"name":"Irish medical journal","volume":"119 9","pages":"169"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2026-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Irish medical journal","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"Medicine","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Introduction: There were four cases of severely abnormal fetal cranial views on ultrasound over a two-week period at a peripheral maternity unit. We describe three of these cases with consent.
Cases: All cases were confirmed anencephaly/acrania by fetal medicine at a tertiary referral centre between 12-16-weeks' gestation. In two cases the parents opted for genetic testing. This condition is not compatible with life and this cluster highlights the difficult decisions individuals and couples are faced with.
Outcome: Two of the couples opted for termination under Section 11 of the Health Act 2018. One set of parents chose to continue the pregnancy and had an emergency caesarean section followed by a neonatal death within hours of delivery.
Discussion: Given how rare these conditions are, this cluster gives an opportunity to review an important and largely preventable anomaly. The introduction of folic acid food fortification could majorly contribute to prevention.
期刊介绍：
Since its inception in 1867, the Journal of the Medical Association of Ireland and now in its present format, the Irish Medical Journal, has provided the medical community in Ireland with an invaluable service. As one of the leading biomedical publications in Ireland, it has sought to continue the education of medical students and postgraduates through scientific research, review articles and updates on contemporary clinical practices while providing an ongoing forum for medical debate. A measure of our stature is that we are listed in the Index Medicus and issued annually with a citation factor from the Institute for Scientific Information.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
