[Prenatal diagnosis of malformations of the central nervous system].

Since the very start of using ultrasound to monitor pregnancy the information that the obstetrician has obtained from it has been great. Measuring the fetus (biparietal diameters, rump-crown length etc.) makes it possible to check development of the fetus in the uterus, as well as seeing the various organs and their placing and internal structure. Real time pictures make it possible to visualise the organs precisely from the point of view of their positioning and their internal structures. We report 12 cases of malformations of the central nervous system which were diagnosed in utero and we point out the value of early diagnosis in pregnancy. The 12 cases we found included four of hydrocephaly, one cyst of the choroid plexus, one hydrencephaly , two cases of holoprocencephaly and four cases of anencephaly. Since these malformations may be part of generalised malformations it is important to search for these others by ultrasound as well as by caryotyping and estimation of alpha-fetoprotein levels.