[Congenital malformations of urinary tract and gastrointestinal canal. Incidence of diagnosed cases at 2 years of age compared with prenatal registration].

The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of diagnosed congenital malformations of the kidneys, urinary and gastrointestinal tracts at two years of age in an unselected population of 8952 children born in three Danish counties in 1991. Further, to review how frequently these conditions were detected by obstetric ultrasound examination since no systematic screening for malformations was performed in 1991 in this area. Twenty-three children were found with congenital malformations of the kidneys or urinary tract which gives an incidence of 0.26%. Although 16 of the mothers had been examined with ultrasound during pregnancy, the malformation was only diagnosed or suspected in three of the 23 children. Fourteen children had gastrointestinal malformations, eight were scanned prenatally and only one (diaphragmatic hernia) was diagnosed prenatally. Thus malformations in kidneys, urinary tract or gastrointestinal tract were rarely diagnosed prenatally by ultrasound although 70% of the mothers were scanned at least once during pregnancy.