Evaluation of routine ultrasound examination for the prenatal diagnosis of malformation.

In 1986, a retrospective survey was undertaken in the southern part of the province of Hainaut, Belgium, in order to measure the frequency of ultrasound examinations during pregnancy and to evaluate the effectiveness of the routine practice of echography screening for the detection of congenital malformations in an unselected population. The reference populations comprised 8316 pregnancies covered by the EUROCAT Registry of Hainaut. In 1986, 190 congenital malformations cases were registered.

[Frequency and value of autopsy in perinatal death].

In the province of Hainaut (Belgium), a study was undertaken in order to assess a pediatric pathology department, organized at the regional level. The study concerned 182 perinatal deaths, occurring among the 16,071 births in 9 maternity hospitals, in 1982 and 1983. The frequency of autopsies was 51%, both for stillbirths and for early neonatal deaths.

[Definition and classification of perinatal mortality].

Analysis of problems related to the classification of perinatal mortality was made possible through the evaluation of data collected from the medical records of nine maternity hospitals in South-Hainaut. Medical records of 135 fetal and early neonatal deaths were investigated. Perinatal mortality statistics were compiled on the basis of five different definitions of perinatal mortality.