ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Year : 2005  |  Volume : 8  |  Issue : 1  |  Page : 4-8

Congenital malformations in paediatric and neurosurgical practices: Problems and pattern (a preliminary report)

JO Adeniran FRCS ¹, TO Odebode FMCS ^2
1 Departments of Paediat ric Surgery University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria
² Departments of Neurosurgery, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria

Correspondence Address:
J O Adeniran
Departments of Paediat ric Surgery University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin
Nigeria

Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None

Check

AIM: To determine the pattern and identify problems and outcome of management of congenital anomalies in Ilorin, Nigeria.
METHODOLOGY: We retrospectively studied all children presenting over a 5-year period (1998 to 2002 ) with congenital anomalies to the Paediatric S urgery and Neurosurgery unit s of the University Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria. Clinical data abstracted and analy zed include age, type of congenital anomaly, management, complications and outcome.
RESULTS: There were 803 children with various systemic congenital malformations. Of these, 588 (73.2% ) were operated, constituting 54.4% of the total o perations performed on children (1080) during the study period. Malformations oj the gastrointestinal tract (536) including hernias (317), anorectal malformations (61), Hirschsprung's disease(45), and omphalocoeles(19), were the most frequent. Next in f requency were malformations of the centra/nervous system (114 ), the commonest being spinal dysraphism (50 ) and hydrocephalu s (44 ). Less common malf ormations included urogenital (105) and biliary (3) anomalies as well as lesions of the neck ( 35), skin (8) and soft tissues(2). The overall mortality rate of 3.4% (201586) was predominantly due to the deaths of infants with oesophageal atresia, gastroschisis, and ruptured myelomeningocoele.
CONCLUSION: The commonest systemic congenital malformations encountered by the paediatric and neurosurgical
units in this center are in order of decreasing frequency gastrointe.l'tinal, central nervous and genitourinary.

Keywords: Congenital malformation, pattern, management, outcome