Results:
During the study period, there were 147563 patients. Of which, 1502
cases found to have major congenital anomalies, among them 947 (63.05
%) fetuses with isolated major anomalies and 555 cases (36.95%) with
complex or multiple congenital anomalies. The average antenatal
prevalence of congenital anomalies for 10 years was 10.1 per 1000
pregnancies. The mean gestational age during the first visit was 27(SD
5.5) weeks with range from 10 to 40 weeks. The mean (SD) of maternal age
was 30 (6.0) years. Most (42.9%) referrals were from Muscat and 19.4%
from AL Batinah (North) region. Coexisting maternal factors were
observed in 481 (32%) of patients including gestational diabetes
(8.8%), maternal age (6.59%) and recurrent early pregnancy loss
(7.12%). Nervous system was the most common (29%) abnormalities
observed and cardiothoracic system (24.9%) was the second most common.
Perinatal outcomes showed that 9.6 % had early neonatal death, 19% had
still births and 4 % had neonatal death. The perinatal mortality rate
was 32.6% among fetuses with major congenital anomalies.
Conclusions: The prevalence of major congenital anomalies in
our papulation is double the international figures. Early referrals can
have a significant impact on early diagnosis, management and
counselling. Modifiable maternal risk factors can be prevented and
managed effectively during preconception period. This study emphasizes
the need of national surveillance system and database for congenital
anomalies and efforts should be focused in rising awareness of the
occurrence and risk factors of congenital anomalies in Oman and the
region of middle East.