Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026
Fetal Mouse Cardiovascular Imaging Using a High-frequency Ultrasound (30/45MHZ) System
Published on: May 5, 2018
[Congenital malformations--a systematic cohort study from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Germany)]
D Olbertz1, M Voigt, S Straube
1Abteilung Neonatologie, Klinikum Südstadt Rostock, Südring 81, Rostock. dirk.olbertz@kliniksuedrostock.de
Insights
Congenital malformations occurred in 203.53 per 10,000 neonates in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Establishing malformation registries is crucial for monitoring and addressing these conditions in perinatal medicine.
Area of Science:
- Perinatal Medicine
- Public Health Surveillance
- Medical Informatics
Context:
- Congenital malformations significantly impact childhood morbidity and mortality.
- Accurate prevalence data is essential for effective perinatal care and public health strategies.
- A passive malformations registry was established in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, for the period 2002-2004.
Purpose:
- To estimate the prevalence of congenital malformations in live births, stillbirths, miscarriages, and induced abortions.
- To establish a baseline for monitoring malformation trends in the region.
- To compare malformation rates with a general population sample.
Summary:
- The registry identified 768 neonates with major malformations out of 37,634 total neonates, yielding a prevalence of 203.53 per 10,000.
- The most frequent malformations included ventricular septal defect, hydronephrosis, hypospadias, Down syndrome, and cleft lip and palate.
- Infants with malformations exhibited higher rates of preterm birth and being small for gestational age compared to the general population.
Impact:
- Highlights the importance of congenital malformations as key factors in perinatal health.
- Underscores the necessity of establishing and maintaining active malformation registries for ongoing surveillance.
- Provides critical data for informing public health policies and clinical interventions in perinatal medicine.
Aim:
We aimed to set-up a passive malformations registry for 2002-2004 for the German Federal State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in order to estimate the prevalence of congenital malformations among live births, stillbirths, miscarriages, and induced abortions. POPULATION AND STUDY DESIGN: Under the guidance of the working group "Neonatology Mecklenburg-Vorpommern" a standardised malformations record form modelled after the Mainz registry was developed and used to record malformations among live births, stillbirths, miscarriages, and induced abortions in all 21 obstetric departments in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania between 2002 and 2004. We compared the population of neonates with malformations with a general population sample from the German Perinatal Survey of 1995-1997.
Results:
There were 768 neonates with at least one major malformation among a total of 37 634 neonates in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania; this means that the prevalence of major malformations was 203.53 per 10 000 neonates. The prevalence of major malformations in liveborn infants was 178.61 per 10 000. The most common malformations in the total study population were ventricular septal defect (prevalence: 37.2 per 10 000), hydronephrosis (16.7 per 10 000), hypospadias (14.8 per 10 000), Down syndrome (10.1 per 10 000), and cleft lip and palate (9.0 per 10 000). Among the induced abortions the most common diagnoses were Down syndrome, anencephalus, Edwards syndrome, and congenital hydrocephalus. The preterm birth rate among the 637 liveborn and stillborn infants with malformations was 19.6%; 5.6% were born before 32 completed weeks of gestation. The small for gestational age rate for infants with malformations was 14.2% for girls and 14.5% for boys, thus increased compared with the general population sample (9.7%).
Conclusions:
Congenital malformations are important determinants of childhood morbidity and mortality. Malformation prevalence and types of malformations, along with morbidity and mortality, are important parameters in perinatal medicine. The establishment of active malformation registries is therefore an important task.
More Related Videos
08:28Analysis of Congenital Heart Defects in Mouse Embryos Using Qualitative and Quantitative Histological Methods
Published on: March 10, 2020
08:22A Novel Strategy Combining Array-CGH, Whole-exome Sequencing and In Utero Electroporation in Rodents to Identify Causative Genes for Brain Malformations
Published on: December 1, 2017
