Diagnostic problems of pregnancy in a mother with fetal anencephaly

Abstract

Anencephaly is a rare but fatal central nervous system anomaly involving failure of the neural tube to close during fetal development in the mother's womb. The number of anencephaly cases varies, globally estimated to be between 0.5-2 per 1,000 births. Anencephaly cannot be treated but can be detected early. A 38-year-old woman presented with complaints of abdominal tightness that had been felt since 10 hours before admission, with a diagnosis of G5P4004 30-31 weeks, live singleton, latent phase 1, anencephaly. Cito sectio caesarea and pomeroy tubectomy were performed. The baby girl weighed 1800 grams, 40 cm in length, APGAR score 3/5, with anencephaly. The baby died 2 hours after birth. The prognosis for babies born with anecephaly is poor. Termination of pregnancy is the only option to prevent the birth of a child with anencephaly, but it is still controversial in Indonesia.