ANANCEPHALY
Anencephaly is a birth defect in which the major parts of the brain, scalp, and skull of the fetus do not form completely in the womb. A lack of folic acid (vitamin B9) before and during pregnancy may increase the chance of anencephaly. There is no cure.Anencephaly occurs when the neural tube, a narrow channel in the fetus that normally closes to form the spinal cord and brain, does not close properly between the third and fourth weeks of pregnancy. An infant born with anencephaly has some or most of the brain missing. These infants are unconscious, cannot feel, and are usually blind and deaf.In many cases, some brain tissue may be exposed because parts of the skull are missing. Some infants may have a primitive brain stem at birth. They may seem to respond to sound or touch, but their reactions are involuntary and are caused by the action of the brain stem.
Wow. That’s very unfortunate to see this malformation to occur. I always see this disorder on this application and it just puts me down.
Anencephaly can theoretically be diagnosed as early as 8 weeks; however, it can be missed in the first trimester. There is 100% accuracy inthe second trimester for this diagnosis by ultrasound.
