[Anencephaly. 10 cases seen in 3 years in Brazzaville (Congo)].

The authors report ten cases of anencephaly diagnosed between 1989 and 1991 in the maternity units of Brazzaville (Congo). The incidence of anencephaly was 0.12 per thousand. Although there was no geographical factors to definitely identify, there is a suspicion that the consumption of potatoes, infected by phytophotora infestans at the beginning of pregnancy may have had an effect; but this hypothesis would have to be confirmed by microbiological studies. The patients were young with a mean age of 27.5 years and were of low socio-economic levels. In this study female fetuses were often affected; which is also found in the literature but without any reasonable explanation. The means of diagnosis of anencephaly in Brazzaville have improved thanks to the recent acquisition of an ultrasound machine which made it possible to screen most of these cases.